tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88304177515772106122024-03-12T21:52:20.293-06:00UnderdogBlogSaad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-3242410302995101002020-11-19T19:16:00.002-06:002020-11-19T19:16:10.525-06:00Week 13 Story: 100 Word Story<p><b>Satyabrata's Pleasure </b></p><p> "Mom, how come we never get to eat meat?"said Satyabrata. His mother replied, "I can barely afford to feed you vegetables, how am I supposed to get meat?"</p><p>Satyabrata took matters into his own hands. He went out and killed a goose to eat.</p><p>Later, the King's army came looking for the missing goose. Angered, the King had Satyabrata arrested.</p><p>Satyabrata wondered what food they would serve him in prison. Goose, chicken, maybe lamb? He thought prison might not be too bad after all. The prison food was not that bad after all. </p><p>"I like it here" said Satyabrata happily. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3bJb5f6qNsk/X7cYtlbSLEI/AAAAAAAAGek/5XBMpxxL_VwBkqdfaSxuNHX_3v7SG4ONgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1300/gander-6177460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3bJb5f6qNsk/X7cYtlbSLEI/AAAAAAAAGek/5XBMpxxL_VwBkqdfaSxuNHX_3v7SG4ONgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/gander-6177460.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-gander-image6177460">Gander</a> </div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Author's Note - I based this story on the Sacred Tales of India story titled "The Gander Eater" where Satyabrata desires meat but his widowed mother cannot afford it. He goes out and kills a gander, or a goose, and the King comes looking for him. In the story he is imprisoned and eventually is freed by his mothers prayers to the goddess Subachami. He is freed from prison and is then married to the king's daughter to live a life of wealth. In my story, since I only had 100 words, I changed it to where Satyabrata was happy in prison because they fed him meat, something he always wanted. I also thought to have him stay in prison because he was unhappy with his mother for being unable to afford meat. </p><p>Bibliography - <a href="https://archive.org/stream/sacredtalesofind00neog#page/102/mode/2up">The Gander Eater</a></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-13931449335757593702020-11-19T00:51:00.002-06:002020-11-19T00:51:04.830-06:00Reading Notes: Sacred Tales of India Part D<p><b>Sacrificed to Varuna </b></p><p>In the story, there is a Brahman who is unable to dig a pond however hard he tries. He digs but water is never found. He is told in his dream that the only way to acquire water is to cut his grandson in five pieces in a sacrifice to the water god Varuna, then place him in all four corners and in the middle. The Brahman does not want to do this, but eventually tells his grandson who agrees, as he will do anything for his grandfather. The boy is cut and then water appears. The boys mother later is bathing in the water, but has not seen her son all day. She wonders where he is. The goddess of Sashthi appears while the mother is praying and worshipping her, because it is a holy day. Sashthi sees this and decides to give her son back to the mother. The son returns and the grandfather is struck by surprise and is in awe about how he was brought back to life. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bf5SGYfpsq8/X7YVkA3PycI/AAAAAAAAGeI/STAWSUfgAhEJulYoSbGSolseq78B5rh0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s263/download%2B%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bf5SGYfpsq8/X7YVkA3PycI/AAAAAAAAGeI/STAWSUfgAhEJulYoSbGSolseq78B5rh0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/download%2B%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varuna">Varuna </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;">Bibliography - <a href="https://archive.org/stream/sacredtalesofind00neog#page/108/mode/2up">Sacrificed to Varuna</a> </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-73317893518385073832020-11-18T01:24:00.006-06:002020-11-18T01:24:54.632-06:00Reading Notes: Sacred Tales of India Part C<p><b> The Gander Eater</b></p><p>In this story, Satyabrata discovers that his friends all eat meat while he only is served vegetables at home, because his mom is a poor widow. He desires meat, so he takes matters into his own hands and kills a Gander. Satyabrata and his mom eat the Gander together but the next morning, people of the king come looking for the missing bird and find them and the fate of the bird. They imprison Satyabrata and his mother, going insane, makes a prayer to the goddess Subachani. She asks Subachani to free her son from prison and to make him rich. The goddess goes to the king and orders him to marry his daughter to Satyabrata and to release him from prison. Satyabrata marries the king's daughter, and is now the heir of the kingdom. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1m7w3pDxc0o/X7TL6WjyThI/AAAAAAAAGdo/nGKHhhmQDj4fhj0ry8DdfNboi6OeOn8PgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/Anser_anser_1_%2528Piotr_Kuczynski%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1m7w3pDxc0o/X7TL6WjyThI/AAAAAAAAGdo/nGKHhhmQDj4fhj0ry8DdfNboi6OeOn8PgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Anser_anser_1_%2528Piotr_Kuczynski%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goose">"Gander" or a "Goose"</a> </div><br /><p>Bibliography - <a href="https://archive.org/stream/sacredtalesofind00neog#page/102/mode/2up">The Gander Eater</a></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-70991218642729579422020-11-12T18:21:00.003-06:002020-11-12T18:21:18.860-06:00Story Lab: Week 12<p><b> Advice to Writers</b></p><p>My favorite piece of advice that I read through the list was that of Kevin Barry titled "Literary Talent Isn't Rare." In his post, he talks about how nearly everyone is able to write creative stories with good characters and descriptions, but what people lack is the discipline to do so. I truly do agree with what he said and it gave me a new sense of motivation to write stories. My whole life I have thought of myself as the least creative person when it came to writing. I would avoid every personal narrative class I could, solely because I was not good at coming up with ideas to write about, especially if they were fictional. After taking this course and now reading this quote by Kevin Barry, it has solidified in my mind that anyone is capable of being a great writer, not only that, anyone is capable of being great at ANYTHING as long as they practice discipline. I think that discipline and hard work can get you anywhere you want to be, but often times people's emotions get in their way and distract them from making disciplined decisions. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5CwaBu43BAI/X63RXRLnqhI/AAAAAAAAGdA/1zhi-m02q6gD3P_DGkEmkqeqc8IDr2UwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/lol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="700" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5CwaBu43BAI/X63RXRLnqhI/AAAAAAAAGdA/1zhi-m02q6gD3P_DGkEmkqeqc8IDr2UwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/lol.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jun/22/kevin-barry-interview-night-boat-to-tangier">Kevin Barry - Author</a> </div><br /><p><br /></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-71254835578228428542020-11-12T00:31:00.005-06:002020-11-12T00:31:36.025-06:00Reading Notes: Sacred Tales of India Part B<p><b> The Slayer of Kangsa</b></p><p>The story is similar to the version that I previously watched in the Epified version. The story of Kangsa is that he was supposed to be killed by his own offspring, so every time he had a child he would have the baby killed. One night, his baby and a "baby" that Vishnu disguised himself as. Vishnu was helped across a sea through the assistance of a snake, who sheltered him from rain and the water of the sea. When Kangsa came to kill the baby Vishnu, Vishnu rose as the god he is and killed Kangsa, just as his death was predicted. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tDlrmLiHUkY/X6zWiWb2NdI/AAAAAAAAGbU/CWO5GkN-cwsgheTOkTwqvNIUUOmq2onyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s456/ananta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="456" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tDlrmLiHUkY/X6zWiWb2NdI/AAAAAAAAGbU/CWO5GkN-cwsgheTOkTwqvNIUUOmq2onyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ananta.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/314477986461174777/">Ananta </a></div><br /><p>Bibliography - <a href="https://archive.org/stream/sacredtalesofind00neog#page/60/mode/2up">The Slayer of Kanga</a></p><p><br /></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-64951605802693134782020-11-11T01:57:00.002-06:002020-11-11T01:57:46.952-06:00Reading Notes: Sacred Tales of India<p><b> Snatched From Death</b></p><p>Savitri who is the daughter of a king falls in love with a man named Satyaban, who is the son of a hermit. Savitri's father wants her to marry a man to continue the offspring, so he holds a council for her to find a husband. She denies and tells her father that she is in love with Satyaban, a man who is of lower class in the caste system. The two get married but one day in the forest Satyaban is cursed and dies in Savitri's lap. She brings Satyaban back from the dead by being granted three boons by Yama, the king of the dead. She does not leave her husbands side so Yama grants her boons. In her final boon, Savitri asked Yama to grant her a hundred sons by Satyaban, each spread out by 100 years. Yama unaware of the complexity of this wish agrees, then later realizes that he must now bring Satyaban back to life. They live happily ever after together. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DD-97mTnNXE/X6uZFMxMr9I/AAAAAAAAGa0/T4EitKbCy1km9ZZopWj6u7__irv7PqcRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s550/Savitri_and_Satyavan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DD-97mTnNXE/X6uZFMxMr9I/AAAAAAAAGa0/T4EitKbCy1km9ZZopWj6u7__irv7PqcRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Savitri_and_Satyavan.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savitri_and_Satyavan">Savitri and Satyaban, accompanied by Yama</a></div><br /><p>Bibliography - <a href="https://archive.org/stream/sacredtalesofind00neog#page/20/mode/2up">Snatched from Death</a></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-79443728414855341112020-11-05T18:50:00.004-06:002020-11-05T18:50:32.142-06:00Week 11 Story: Kamsa Microfiction<p>Kamsa the widely hated king woke from his slumber to a voice calling him from the sky. It was a voice he did not recognize, but he could tell it was holy. </p><p>The voice called out, "The eighth son of Devaki will bring upon your demise. Tread lightly."</p><p>The son was Krishna.</p><p>Kamsa at once commanded his army to imprison his cousin Devaki, monitoring each birth closely. The King slept in fear that one day a baby would be the one to dethrone him. He was so worried that he fled the town and resigned as king, in the end he did not want to bring pain upon his cousin by killing her child. He was a misunderstood king, one who had compassion for others. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I1FtBQHVY5A/X6SckqMOOlI/AAAAAAAAGaE/XEUMz4BZLy86V-WHzBDZuxpK8NHr5KFtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s403/kansa-vadh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="403" data-original-width="403" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I1FtBQHVY5A/X6SckqMOOlI/AAAAAAAAGaE/XEUMz4BZLy86V-WHzBDZuxpK8NHr5KFtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/kansa-vadh.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://bharathgyanblog.wordpress.com/2019/11/07/kansa-vadh/">Kamsa being attacked by Krishna</a> </div><div><br /></div><div>Bibliography - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNe8Xg0G0lk&index=2&list=PLrWYQjLLbXchvrnCibGQXZjo3FLHppHWD">Krishna Epified</a></div><div><br /></div>Author's Note: I did a small microfiction and retold the story of Kamsa finding out that his nephew would be the one to kill him. In the original story, when Devaki gets married, a voice from the sky tells Kamsa that her eighth son would be the one to kill him. This leads Kamsa to imprison his cousin and have guards monitor each of her births. He kills all of Devaki's children as he does not want to take any chances at being killed. The eighth son however, gets away. Kamsa is also perceived as a bad King and everyone wants to get rid of him. In my story, I portray Kamsa as a misunderstood and compassionate King, who does not want to harm his cousin by killing her son. He instead escapes into the forest for hiding. <br /><p><br /></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-28803803284509601652020-11-05T00:53:00.002-06:002020-11-05T00:54:10.447-06:00Reading Notes: Epified Krishna<h4 style="text-align: left;"> Krishna Epified</h4><div> Yashoda looked into the mouth of Krishna and saw the universe and everything that it contained. This was super interesting to me, and seems like the moment she finds out that Krishna is truly something special. She has seen before that her son is different than others whether it be because he eats mud or steals butter, but now she finally knows for a fact he is different. I wonder if she questions where her own biological child is, and I also wonder how she is okay with having her child replaced with another. It seems as if she does not care that her daughter is gone after all. </div><div><br /></div><div>Krishna overcomes many things such as giant serpents and lifting mountains to protect his people. Eventually, Gods are asking Krishna for forgiveness. Krishna has gained much respect across the lands and anyone who tries to challenge him and his brother get destroyed with little effort. Krishna falls in love with Radha, and they have an instant connection. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-osblT8NpZxk/X6OhFmWVxGI/AAAAAAAAGZ0/lBahRVKffrg470q4OtGS_SzgngH-aH-WgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/krishna.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="1024" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-osblT8NpZxk/X6OhFmWVxGI/AAAAAAAAGZ0/lBahRVKffrg470q4OtGS_SzgngH-aH-WgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/krishna.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Avatar <a href="https://eternalreligion.org/the-seen-and-proven-god-is-only-one-lord-krishna/">Krishna</a> playing the flute to his cows</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Bibliography - <a href="http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2016/08/epified-krishna.html">Epified Krishna </a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-9425412847203634462020-10-22T20:10:00.001-06:002020-10-22T20:10:01.864-06:00Week 9 Story: Dhritarashtra's VisionVyasa entered the room and Ambika immediately shot him looks of disgust and remorse. His hair was in knots and he was covered in dirt, his odor could be detected from miles away. Ambika was not looking forward to having a child with Vyasa, so when he took her in his arms, she closed her eyes and plucked her nose. <div><br /></div><div>Ambika called out, "Vyasa, I cannot look at you nor can I smell you, your utter presence is making me nauseous, let alone your horrid appearance." </div><div><br /></div><div>Ambika closed her eyes and and Vyasa told her that their child will be born blind. Ambika could not bear opening her eyes to see the sickening view of Vyasa, so she continued with them closed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Their son was born blind just as Vyasa had predicted. The son's name was Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra later wondered why he was blind, and his mother told him that his father was so unbearably ugly, that she was forced to close her eyes while he was being conceived. Dhritarashtra was upset, as he became self conscious about his own appearance. He feared kids in school would bully him for looking as ugly as his father. Dhritarashtra grew angry with his mother and blamed her for all of his life struggles. For being blind, for not knowing what he looks like, for being bullied in school, everything. </div><div><br /></div><div>Later on in life Dhritarashtra became the King of Hastinapur. He hated his mother so much, he decided to banish her from the kingdom. He believed that finally he could get rid of his mother Ambika and punish her for all his hardships. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ambika had left Hastinapur deeply saddened. She ran far away where nobody could ever find her again. Never was she seen by another human.</div><div><br /></div><div>A few days later, a friend of Dhritarashtra named Raj asked him, "Why would you banish your mother?"</div><div><br /></div><div>Dhritarashtra replied, "She was responsible for all my struggles. She was the reason I was blind."</div><div><br /></div><div>Raj replied, "You understand she went blind for you too, right? She had her eyes poked with needles to destroy her vision. She did it because she loved you. How could you do this?"</div><div><br /></div><div>Dhritarashtra, unaware that his mother sacrificed his vision to be like him, was struck with everlasting guilt. He looked far and wide for his mother, but she was nowhere to be found. Dhritarashtra lived the rest of his life in pain and regret about how he had treated his loving mother. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hqin6NlxAcs/X5I7NKGjauI/AAAAAAAAGR0/OSGXCGftZoUK32ZrQBL8ZVNgNDCbCVJtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Dhritarashtra.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hqin6NlxAcs/X5I7NKGjauI/AAAAAAAAGR0/OSGXCGftZoUK32ZrQBL8ZVNgNDCbCVJtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Dhritarashtra.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://peoplepill.com/people/dhritarashtra/">Dhritarashtra</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Bibliography - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3MmZFkrbFo&list=PLrWYQjLLbXch4II3e8ke0S-6u7JpPSCmJ&index=8">Mahabharata Episode 7</a> by Epified</div><div><br /></div><div>Authors Note: I took inspiration from the Mahabharata Episode 7 where Dhritarashtra is born to Vyasa and Ambika. He is born blind because his mother did not want to look at his father, Vyasa. The ugliness of Vyasa was too much to handle. I tried to retell that story in this piece while adding my own twist at the end. In the original story, Dhritarashtra is aware that his mother has sacrificed her vision for him, but in my retell he is unaware. I believe that it was necessary for bringing a neat twist to the story. </div><div><br /></div>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-54189187513553352042020-10-21T22:36:00.002-06:002020-10-21T22:36:16.598-06:00Reading Notes: Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution Part B<p> Reading Notes</p><p>One Hundred Sons - </p><p>This was my favorite story out of the Part B videos, probably because of how they portrayed the flesh that Ghandari gives birth to. It was literally just a lump that looked like balled up laundry. The flesh was later split into 100 pieces and then submerged in oil. After that, her sons emerged from the oil and she had a hundred sons. The video portrays them as ugly beings, and that only a blind parent would accept them as they could not see their ugliness. I thought this was humorous but also unrealistic, as a mother will love her son regardless. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vikebzxacic/X5EL_Te1VaI/AAAAAAAAGRQ/81uJjGY4bKwRDUXlVGQVWkOAg2DXT9U_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/gandhari-and-dhitrastra-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vikebzxacic/X5EL_Te1VaI/AAAAAAAAGRQ/81uJjGY4bKwRDUXlVGQVWkOAg2DXT9U_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/gandhari-and-dhitrastra-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://glorioushinduism.com/2017/09/30/gandhari/">Ghandari</a> with her blindfold on, as she sacrificed her vision eternally</div><div><br /></div>Bibliography - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZoiE5i7p5Q&list=PLrWYQjLLbXch4II3e8ke0S-6u7JpPSCmJ&index=13">One Hundred Sons</a><br /><p><br /></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-83096342515785472522020-10-20T22:27:00.003-06:002020-10-20T22:28:27.768-06:00Reading Notes: Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution Part A<h3 style="text-align: left;"> Part A</h3><p style="text-align: left;">The drawings in the videos is amazing. It really helps in the deeper understanding of what all is going on and makes it easier to keep track of the characters, as there can be several. The best part in my opinion was how they were able to portray Vyasa as a hairy ugly man, and it definitely made me laugh. The story is pretty in line with the previous readings, so there is not much to note other than the great drawings. I think this is a very resourceful source to use if you get lost in the story as it can clear many things up simply with the drawings.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-74UWnqtKGRg/X4-4hrI4_uI/AAAAAAAAGQw/00ga3KvIJjw32SvF3imRzQiWM_W7mybawCLcBGAsYHQ/s1311/Vyasa%2Bblog.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1311" data-original-width="1023" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-74UWnqtKGRg/X4-4hrI4_uI/AAAAAAAAGQw/00ga3KvIJjw32SvF3imRzQiWM_W7mybawCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Vyasa%2Bblog.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyasa">Vyasa</a></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bibliography - <b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6px;"><a href="http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2016/01/overview-epified-mahabharata.html" style="color: #888888;"><i>Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution</i></a></b></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-57591416013880344832020-10-15T16:56:00.006-06:002020-10-15T16:56:48.883-06:00Week 8 Progress<h3 style="text-align: center;"> Progress</h3><div>Overall I would say I am happy with my progress thus far. I think I have significantly improved my writing skills and my level of creativity, things that I was worried about when coming into the course. I have a good weekly routine and like to do work for this course last, as I find it far more relaxing than other courses and it helps me decompress for the night. I probably enjoy the readings the most as I am interested in the history of India and where some of the religious beliefs in Hinduism stem from. I have not utilized any extra credit so far, but I do plan on it. In the next half of the semester, I want to improve the aesthetic of my blog to be more visually pleasing, and I also want to write more quality stories. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BmPlEI9hbU4/X4jTe9reThI/AAAAAAAAGPk/Wodp4hwQj9gueIzN8QeWr828FPR5RcUiwCLcBGAsYHQ/s420/keep%2Bgoing%2Bmeme.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BmPlEI9hbU4/X4jTe9reThI/AAAAAAAAGPk/Wodp4hwQj9gueIzN8QeWr828FPR5RcUiwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/keep%2Bgoing%2Bmeme.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mememaker.net/meme/keep-going-30740">Keep Going!</a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-28922400960476871762020-10-14T15:22:00.002-06:002020-10-14T15:22:16.399-06:00Week 8 Comments and Feedback<h4 style="text-align: center;">Comments and Feedback</h4><div>1. The comments that I have received from classmates in my opinion has been helpful, especially when a majority of comments are pointing out the same thing. For example, in one of my stories I lacked dialogue so many classmates let me know that it could be helpful in the story. I kept that in mind for the next story I wrote and tried to incorporate it into my writing naturally. </div><div>2. I think that my feedback to other students has been good. I like highlighting my favorite parts of their work, and try to provide specific changes that I feel could be beneficial. </div><div>3. I definitely think the blog post introductions help in getting to know our classmates. It has made the class feel a bit more personal rather than just random people commenting on other's stories. My introduction does a good job in my opinion of informing classmates about my interests and what I like to do.</div><div>4. I want to be more specific on the comments I make on other people's blogs as I believe it can be one of the most helpful things when making edits. Sometimes comments are broad and it does not leave an impact on the person, so I feel it is good to get specific. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YQp4Rlti7Mw/X4drbmodTWI/AAAAAAAAGPE/iiMg7z4WS40xVojTFgcopgZDt6eWwSy8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/catblog.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YQp4Rlti7Mw/X4drbmodTWI/AAAAAAAAGPE/iiMg7z4WS40xVojTFgcopgZDt6eWwSy8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/catblog.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://growthmindsetmemes.blogspot.com/search/label/Feedback%20Cats">Never Fail Cat</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is my favorite because I live by the idea that you fall down 7 times and get up 8. You can never give up on your dreams whatever it is. Failure is part of any process, what shapes us is how we deal with that failure. I believe that to be great at anything you must fail several times, and that failure is a precursor to success. Failure is the price you must pay to achieve success. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-38693076628936708152020-10-13T16:03:00.001-06:002020-10-13T16:03:21.523-06:00Week 8 Reading and Writing<h3 style="text-align: center;">Reflection </h3><p>Overall, I believe that at first I was a bit unfamiliar with how this whole class would work out because it is so different from anything I had ever done before, but I can say with confidence that this has been one of my favorite classes so far in college. Personally, the reading is really intriguing to me more so than the writing aspect, and I probably feel this way because I have never been a creative type especially when it comes to storytelling or creating your own stories. I definitely have gotten better with my storytelling after reading several stories that have been assigned as well as ones from classmates. My writing skills have progressed and now I feel more comfortable with the writing aspect, something I was weary about before taking the class and in the first couple weeks of the course. I am happy with my blog and website, and make changes depending on my mood. I like to switch or add images and treat it like a sort of mood board. My biggest accomplishment has definitely been the advancement of my writing skills. Never had I written anything other than traditional essays for school, and this definitely taught me how to write stories and be more creative with writing as a whole. My favorite readings were the Ramayana because it was easy to read and there were not many characters unlike the Mahabharata which I found confusing at times. As for my reading notes, I think from here on out I will try to highlight one or two of the stories that were my favorites and I found significant. I find myself only looking at my notes to see which of the stories were my favorite so I could incorporate them into stories of my own. Overall, I am excited for the next half of the course and the adventures that it will bring. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V9tKH31uJ54/X4YjzMqb89I/AAAAAAAAGOs/3LSiWSM9mGkxqqj4yvI4lFPdmOKlXjFFwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="294" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V9tKH31uJ54/X4YjzMqb89I/AAAAAAAAGOs/3LSiWSM9mGkxqqj4yvI4lFPdmOKlXjFFwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="221" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The mighty <a href="http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/pde-ramayana-kumbhakarna.html">Kumbhakarna</a> - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is definitely my favorite image as I love him as a character as well as his physical appearance. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-3823238013351215612020-10-08T18:02:00.002-06:002020-10-08T18:02:26.835-06:00Week 7 Story: Kubera's Tale<p>The Pandavas then departed for their exile to the Himalayas, a land filled with beauty from the mountain tops down to the valleys, overflowing with life and prosperity. When trying to find a place to rest for the night, they came across an enormous palace covered in gold and jewels that erupted in the middle of two mountains like a hot volcano. The brothers decided to knock on the door, and met the being who lived there - a man by the name of Kubera.</p><p>Kubera showed them around the palace ridden with the most expensive and rare jewelry they had ever seen, and offered the Pandava brothers a place to stay. </p><p>He asked the brothers, "For why is it you all have come across this desolate land where nobody has visited in centuries? Not even the Sherpa's that work on Everest stop by to say hello."</p><p>The brothers told him the story of their exile, and then asked about Kubera's own history.</p><p>Kubera went on to tell them about his life and how it led to where it did.</p><p>"It all began when I was born. My father had two wives, one happened to be my mother, but the other woman happened to be the mother to the well-known demon named Ravana. Ravana was a demon and did no good in this world, always causing trouble and ruining lives. He attempted to steal Rama's wife, Sita. A foul act, something nobody could ever imagine doing."</p><p>"Ravana and I used to be friends when we were younger, but our mothers having fought over the love of our father had developed a disliking for each other. Ravana's mother and my mother were never happy to see us hanging out with each other, and my mother would often remind me that he is a demon. She told me I should not surround myself with his company, as it can only lead to bad things. Later on I became the King of Lanka, ruling the lands far and wide. A truly beloved ruler. Ravana's mother told Ravana that Gods and demons should never be hanging out together, and that Ravana needed to do something to prove his status."</p><p>"Ravana then departed to the forest to pray to Brahma, seeking the throne of Lanka in hopes to overthrow me. I personally do not believe that Ravana wanted this, and it pains me to see my friend and half-brother wish on my demise, but he was being persuaded by his ravaging mother. Brahma, after hearing Ravana's prayers, sent demons to fight me off and take me far away from Lanka. A group of demons came and defeated me, dropping me far away north in the Himalayas. Ravana was now the ruler of Lanka, and I had been exiled from the lands by the commands of Ravana's mother. I then built this palace in these mountains and have resided here ever since, not a soul knows that I am here now, other than you brothers."</p><p>The Pandava brothers were in shock of Kubera's life story and how his own half brother could betray him. </p><p>The brothers asked Kubera, "That's cool...but why do you have such a large palace filled with rich jewels and coated in layers of gold if you are the only one here, and why are you considered the God of Wealth?"</p><p>Kubera answered, "Oh.....I just have really expensive taste."</p><p>Then Kubera along with the Pandava brothers lived happily ever after.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bUpHPrNC37M/X3-oRQ15A9I/AAAAAAAAGN0/RRfBOKrFwX4foQDisSUHTtMTZW3mz3EvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s270/himalayas%2Bblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bUpHPrNC37M/X3-oRQ15A9I/AAAAAAAAGN0/RRfBOKrFwX4foQDisSUHTtMTZW3mz3EvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/himalayas%2Bblog.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas">The Himalayas</a></div><p>Author's Note: My story is based on the Mahabharata story titled "The Himalayas" where the Pandava brothers are leaving for exile and come across Kubera. In the original story, the brothers do not spend time talking about Kubera and his origins on how he is the God of Wealth. They merely mention him and then continue on with the story. I wanted my story to focus more on the story of Kubera and his origins as I believe his relation to Ravana is important in the bigger picture. I was also just fascinated with Kubera and wished to know more about him, so writing this story allowed me to do further research on him and his life. Some parts of the story have been adjusted slightly, but a majority of his life's story is accurate. </p><p>Bibliography - PDE Mahabharata - <a href="http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/pde-mahabharata-himalayas.html">The Himalayas</a></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-85138307485139610902020-10-07T17:27:00.003-06:002020-10-07T17:27:47.075-06:00Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part D<h3 style="text-align: left;"> Mahabharata</h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Arjuna says he will defend his brothers life even if it means sacrificing his own</li><li>Drona is in charge of Duryodhana's armies</li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"He died like to a forest lion surrounded by hunters; he sank like to the red sun at evening; he perished like to a tempest whose strength is spent; he was spent out even like a fire which has consumed a forest and is extinguished on the plain; Abhimanyu was lost as is the serene white moon when shrouded in black eclipse." </span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Arjuna weeps at the death of his son and seeks revenge</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ghatotkacha is killed</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Drona was killed by his own sword, the Pandavas had </span><span style="color: #222222;">deceived</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> him</span></span></span></li><li>Karna is in charge of the armies</li><li>Bhima now seeks revenge for the unfair treatment of Draupadi; gambling.</li><li>Bhima cuts off Duhsasana's head and drinks his blood in revenge. He claims he has never tasted anything sweeter than his blood. </li><li>The Kaurava warriors see this inhumane act and flee in fear</li><li>Arjuna shoots Karna and takes his head off, killing him with a bow. </li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"My brother, did not Duryodhana wrong the Pandavas with foul play at dice? And did not Bhima, when he beheld Draupadi put to shame, vow to break the knee of Duryodhana?" says Krishna</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ashwatthaman arrives to avenge the death of Drona by killing the Pandavas while they are asleep in their homes. </span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"So be it. But Ashwatthamann hath a great jewel which gleams in darkness. Let it be taken from him, for it is as dear unto him as his life." He had a jewel which served him protection. Arjuna goes in pursuit of this jewel. </span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Horse sacrifice</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yudhishthira becomes the king</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Krishna was killed by a hunter as he was mistaken to be a gazelle. He was then burned alongside his 4 widows. </span></span></li><li>The Pandavas and Drauapdi depart for Mount Meru, never to return </li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"As he spake the gods appeared, and the scene of horror vanished from before the eyes of Yudhishthira, for it was an illusion conjured up to test his constancy." He was being tested by the gods</span></span></li></ul><div>Bibliography - <a href="http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Mahabharata">PDE Mahabharata</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sA_Xwr1V5wI/X35O4ZU5HII/AAAAAAAAGNg/iF8qtlyu70A78uvQ_rab5O3DhtABisUMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s250/pandavas%2Bblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sA_Xwr1V5wI/X35O4ZU5HII/AAAAAAAAGNg/iF8qtlyu70A78uvQ_rab5O3DhtABisUMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/pandavas%2Bblog.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandava">Pandavas</a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-35666084611833262382020-10-06T18:04:00.004-06:002020-10-06T18:04:45.880-06:00Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part C<h4 style="text-align: left;"> Mahabharata Part C</h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Pandavas are exiled into the forest for a significant amount of time. </li><li>Krishna visits them while in exile</li><li>Draupadi was unhappy that none of the brothers were standing up for their wife</li><li>Draupadi remains unhappy and wants revenge</li><ul><li>does not value forgieveness</li></ul><li>Arjuna gets weapons that will be used to fight with after their exile has been completed</li><li>the Pandava brothers get baptized and then make their way to Himalayas</li><li>Arjuna returns to the brothers after collecting weapons</li><li>Duryodhana is jealous of Karna</li><li>Nakura went to drink water from a river but a voice called out saying to answer to it before drinking. Nakura did not listen to the voice and drank the water, later dying. </li><li>others who drank the water from the river also died</li><li>The voice that was calling to them was revealed to be Dharma, the god of wisdom and justice</li><li>Draupadi escapes a rape attempt through the help of Bhima</li><li>Krishna tries to stop fighting by bringing the Pandavas and Kauravas together<br /></li><li>Failing, Krishna turns into the form of Vishnu and attempts to bring the two together</li><li>When the war is about to begin, Arjun sees his comrades on the other side of the fight and no longer desires war. He is encouraged to go and fight anyways by Krishna</li></ul><div>Bibliography - <a href="http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/search/label/PDE%20Mahabharata">PDE Mahabharata</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EbCZAdF5eGE/X30F4KgPSrI/AAAAAAAAGNM/tVP7KFQ59uANacpA-n08fc7sQhTrm8-TACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/dharma%2Bblog.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EbCZAdF5eGE/X30F4KgPSrI/AAAAAAAAGNM/tVP7KFQ59uANacpA-n08fc7sQhTrm8-TACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/dharma%2Bblog.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:God_yama_statue.JPG">Dharma</a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-47384328439993662952020-10-01T19:46:00.005-06:002020-10-01T19:46:48.885-06:00Story Lab: Ted Talk Videos<p> Ted Talk by OU Professor Jennifer Barnes - </p><p>I thought that this Ted Talk was extremely cool because I had Jennifer Barnes as my Lifespan Development professor last spring. She was an amazing professor and a better person. In her Ted talk she focuses on the idea of fictional characters and what effects they can have on us as people. She highlights para-social relationships and how we as humans feel about celebrities/fictional characters even though they are unaware of our existence. We feel as if we know that person and everything about their lives even though often times they are fictional characters. She says that this relationship can often times mean more to people than casual relationships that we have with real people. I can definitely agree with what she says because I myself have dealt with para-social relationships. I truly realized this when my favorite person in the world other than my family, Kobe Bryant, passed away. I was struck with immense grief and pain even though he did not know of my existence nor had I ever met him. I was crying my eyes out for weeks and still think about him nearly every day. This is the power of para-social relationships, and Professor Barnes that sometimes these relationships can transform us into more empathetical people. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - </p><p>This was an amazing Ted talk that focused on the issues that come with telling a single story. Chimamanda talks about the struggles that she has dealt with when coming to America and the stereotypes that she was faced with by her American colleagues, simply because they had only heard negative stories about her home nation of Nigeria. She emphasizes the need to tell multiple stories, telling the good with the bad, rather than just telling the bad. The image that the media portrays about a certain place often times is so one sided that it brainwashes the viewer into believing anything other than what they are told. The issues with telling only one story can lead to stereotypes. She says, "A single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with sterotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete." A single story can only tell so much of the entire story, and whoever is hearing the story is not being told the bigger picture. This is by far one of the best Ted talks I have ever heard, and it really opened my eyes about stereotypes and especially the media. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GrEeYjuwIn8/X3aGFfbcRgI/AAAAAAAAGME/goiX0iHHSec-sBMQUTdpd3BmbzGuFDHxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1333/stereotype%2Bblog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1333" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GrEeYjuwIn8/X3aGFfbcRgI/AAAAAAAAGME/goiX0iHHSec-sBMQUTdpd3BmbzGuFDHxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/stereotype%2Bblog.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-meaning-of-stereotype-2834956">What is a stereotype?</a></div><div><br /></div><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrWYQjLLbXcjPshEANsTgZZHDnBQt7N30">Youtube Videos </a><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-38540277318984650822020-09-30T23:40:00.005-06:002020-09-30T23:40:54.143-06:00Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part B<h3>Mahabharata</h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Vindura is not allowed to have control over the city</li><li>Duryodhana is said to burn the city and murder the brothers, so they escape underground</li><li>a demon named Hidimba wanted to eat Bhima, so they then fought</li><ul><li>the two get married</li></ul><li>Bhima kills Baka, a demon who eats people</li><li>Draupadi is born, and the story of her previous life with several husbands is told.</li><li>A competition for marriage takes place and Arjuna wins it, shooting an arrow through a wheel</li><li>Duryodhana finds out that the Pandava brothers are still alive</li><li>the brothers return to Hastinapura together and then rule over the city</li><li>Arjuna exiles himself after breaking one of the rules, he then meets the Naga princess Ulipi, and they have a child</li><li>Arjuna is bitten by an alligator, and brings it ashore. He finds out that the alligator is a water nymph</li><li>Arjuna and Chitra want to get married, but they need an heir to the throne, who will stay in Manipur</li><li>Agni wanted to eat the forest, so Krishna and Arjuna agreed to help if he provided celestial weapons. He did, and the forest was burnt down</li><li>Yudishthira wants to become a supreme monarch, so he performs a sacrifice</li><li>a Kshatriya is not allowed to deny a gambling match, so they gamble.</li><li>Draupadi ends up losing a match, and everyone is angry with the result. The brothers are going to be exiled unless Bhima kills Duhshasana</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bibliography - <a href="http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/mahabharata-online-public-domain-edition.html">PDE Mahabharata</a></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cb8Zvd5eIac/X3VrfHMLxtI/AAAAAAAAGLc/8qBeT1UNVlsAZuj6y6dhsqLpWbCO1onCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/draupadi%2Bblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1572" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cb8Zvd5eIac/X3VrfHMLxtI/AAAAAAAAGLc/8qBeT1UNVlsAZuj6y6dhsqLpWbCO1onCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/draupadi%2Bblog.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://mahabharata.fandom.com/wiki/Draupadi">The beautiful Draupadi</a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-34526235310540177982020-09-29T23:32:00.002-06:002020-09-29T23:32:18.142-06:00Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata Part A<h3 style="text-align: left;"> Mahabharata</h3><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A son and daughter were born from the king's seed falling into a river which impregnated a fish. The daughter, Satyavati, went on to be the mother of Vyasa</li><li>Shantanu is a king and Bhishma is his son</li><li>Bhishma finds three women to be the wife of his brother</li><ul><li>needs someone down the line to be king</li></ul><li>Karna is the son of Surya</li><li>Pandu went hunting and shot a holy god who was disguised as a deer, he put a curse on Pandu and said that he would die in the arms of his wife</li><li>Sons of Dhritarashtra are <b>Kauravas</b></li><li>Sons of Pandu are <b>Pandamas</b></li><ul><li>this is what the story is mainly about</li></ul><li>Dhritarashtra and Pandu are brothers</li><li>Bhima a Pandama is almost killed by his cousin out of jealousy. He is poisoned then thrown in the Ganges river, where he is met by snakes called Nagas. They find him holy and he becomes strong</li><li>The cousins train to be warriors, and end up fighting</li></ul><div>Bibliography - <a href="http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/mahabharata-online-public-domain-edition.html">PDE Mahabharata</a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TGfUOU8X4AA/X3QYTN91h1I/AAAAAAAAGLI/e5t2UxehM2wBv6ZClG_f3La2XBVayr-DACLcBGAsYHQ/s868/nagas%2Bblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="868" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TGfUOU8X4AA/X3QYTN91h1I/AAAAAAAAGLI/e5t2UxehM2wBv6ZClG_f3La2XBVayr-DACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nagas%2Bblog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.ancientpages.com/2017/10/24/mysterious-nagas-serpent-people-live-secret-underground-cities/">The Nagas </a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-22041469669284812492020-09-24T20:00:00.001-06:002020-09-24T20:00:02.690-06:00Week 5 Story<p>The rakshasa sat there questioning if they should really do what they needed to do. They feared the mighty Kumbhakarna, as he was one hundred times their size. He had the capabilities of eating an entire village's people, their animals, their food, and their food's food. And it would only serve as an appetizer to his ferocious self. They sat there questioning if this was the right idea and all they could think about was his rage and anger, more importantly his desire to eat. </p><p>"go and wake thee, before Rama kills us!" </p><p>So a rakshasa went. </p><p>"Wake up! Wake up! Rama is coming to kill us and we need your help!"</p><p>Kumbhakarna did not budge. The roar of a hundred lions could not wake him. The only thing to wake the giant was the smell of his favorite food, goat stew. </p><p>The rakshasa went and told the tribe he would not wake.</p><p>"He will not budge! We need goat stew, his favorite food!"</p><p>Unfortunately in the town there was a shortage of goats, as they had all migrated due to changes in the climate. There was no other option but to create a fake stew, and let the aroma wake the beast. </p><p>"Go make stew of some other animal, bear, deer, I don't know! Otherwise Rama will turn us to stew!" cried one rakshasa. </p><p>"Let's just create deer stew and have the spirit turn its smell to goat. We have no other options." </p><p>And so they did. </p><p>The rakshasa went to wake the mighty beast, a barrel of his "favorite" stew propped up on his back. Kumbhakarna immediately woke to the aroma. </p><p>"Ah you have woken me from my slumber with my favorite food, you know I do not enjoy being awake, but for this I will never mind."</p><p>The rakshasha was filled with fear that the beast would know it was all an illusion. His suspicions were correct, the beast in fact knew. The rakshasa informed him of Rama's intention to destroy the village, and how his mighty powers were needed to combat him and his army. He told the rakshasa to gather his army and meet him on the other side of the river. </p><p>The entire village, loaded up with armor and weapons to fight Rama met with Kumbhakarna at the river and found him sitting at a massive table, one only a giant could sit on. Kumbhakarna called out to the people, "Play with my food, and I play with you. You all have come here to die."</p><p>Kumbhakarna sprinkled salt all over the villagers and they had nowhere to run. He grabbed all of them and placed them in a giant pot. From the river he got water and added it to the bowl, lighting a fire beneath the pot letting it boil. </p><p>"Deceieve me with my favorite stew, and you will end up as stew yourselves. Never play with a hungry man, especially if you do not plan to feed him. You all tried to take advantage of me, thinking I was a fat hungry fool! Alas! No goat stew, but rakshasa stew will do!" </p><p>And with that the villagers cried out for help, burning one by one in the pot. Never again did anyone mess with the Kumbhakarna. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ieTJfwURpL4/X21O8SIL2KI/AAAAAAAAGJs/MA-WzpDeobwtgxFLfZdtbPbtFx_03R77gCLcBGAsYHQ/s471/blog%2BKumbhakarna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="433" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ieTJfwURpL4/X21O8SIL2KI/AAAAAAAAGJs/MA-WzpDeobwtgxFLfZdtbPbtFx_03R77gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/blog%2BKumbhakarna.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The mighty <a href="http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/pde-ramayana-kumbhakarna.html">Kumbhakarna </a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Bibliography - <a href="http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/pde-ramayana-kumbhakarna.html">Kumbhakarna from PDE Ramayana </a></p><div style="text-align: left;">Authors note - I wrote this story based on the story of Kumbhakarna, as I was fascinated at how he was such a large being and how all that went through his mind was to satisfy his belly. The Kumbhakarna was actually said to be a smart being, so he tricked the rakshasa into thinking he did not know the stew was fake and lured them over to his dinner table. The Ramayana that we read did not focus too much on Kumbhakarna and he interested me more than any other character, so i decided to write a little extra story on him. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-72425137624246859562020-09-22T22:55:00.003-06:002020-09-22T22:56:28.461-06:00Reading Notes: Sita Sings the Blues Part A & B<p> Reading Notes: </p><p>Bibliography - <a href="http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2015/05/week-1-of-1-paleys-sita-sings-blues-b.html">Sita Sings the Blues</a> by Nina Paley</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-519QmRtzV4c/X2rUwjYbQiI/AAAAAAAAGJI/zmCjCEJAVJIRd7UXCXJazw_wdmYecj01QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-22%2Bat%2B11.53.08%2BPM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-519QmRtzV4c/X2rUwjYbQiI/AAAAAAAAGJI/zmCjCEJAVJIRd7UXCXJazw_wdmYecj01QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-09-22%2Bat%2B11.53.08%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sita">Sita</a> pregnant with Rama's twins, Lava and Kusha</div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Honestly, there was not much to note in this video in my opinion, but it was very interesting to see the plot played out in action. I had visuals in my head of what happened when reading the Ramayana before, but this helped me in transforming the words into images. I enjoyed how the story was told through the perspective of Sita, and her way of expressing herself in the video was through songs which was also different than the readings. I think this was a unique way of expressing the story. I also noticed the narration over the story in between the different scenes. This was a good addition as it gave more context as to what was happening and sometimes the narrators expressed their opinions on what was happening. Hearing another perspective and discussion between the three narrators was great to get a deeper understanding of how others may view the story, and how opinions on certain things that happened vary. </li><li>It was pretty interesting to see Nina play a role in the story, but I was not too sure of her significance in the whole thing. I guess she was trying to relate to Sita and draw similarities between their love lives. How Dave and Nina were in love similar to Rama and Sita, but then by the end the two had split and Sita begged for Rama back while Nina begged for Dave. It was a cool twist and related it to real life. Overall, it was interesting to see play out. </li></ul><p></p>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-59056085430126573912020-09-20T17:10:00.003-06:002020-09-20T17:10:43.636-06:00Comment Wall<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/view/indianholidaysmll4993/home">My Portfolio</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RJQ17NRjOGQ/X2fg9LU9nsI/AAAAAAAAGIk/uuxzIWAikzo8EeEIW3O1SrouzlleKayxACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/blog%2Bholi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1361" data-original-width="2048" height="326" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RJQ17NRjOGQ/X2fg9LU9nsI/AAAAAAAAGIk/uuxzIWAikzo8EeEIW3O1SrouzlleKayxACLcBGAsYHQ/w602-h326/blog%2Bholi.jpg" width="602" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi">Holi </a></div><span> </span><br />Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-81946773488553159472020-09-17T17:35:00.003-06:002020-09-17T17:35:37.018-06:00Week 4 Lab<h2 style="text-align: left;">Story Book Research </h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">Festivals and Holidays:</h3><div>Holi - </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>festival of colors</li><li>celebrates good over evil</li><li>originated in India, but due to people moving, has spread across the world</li><li>the festival lasts a night and a day, and starts on the night of a full moon and continues into the following day</li><li>The night Holi stars, people gather around a bonfire and perform religious rituals that are meant to cleanse the body of all evil.</li><li>the morning after, people celebrate by throwing color stained powders at each other and wear colorful outfits. Friends, enemies, man, woman, children, everyone participates in the color fights, which makes for quite the aesthetic. </li><li>People celebrate with certain intoxicants, one being a drink that originates from cannabis, which leads to quite the jolly time</li><li>after the day is over, families and relatives get together and enjoy the night with each others presence. </li><li>Krishna</li><ul><li>The history of Holi can be dated back to Krishna. When Krishna was a baby, he had been poisoned by drinking the breast milk of a demon named Putana. After drinking this, his skin color had gone dark. Krishna wanted to be with the goddess Radha, but feared she would not like him due to his skin color. Krishna's mother got fed up, and told Radha to color Krishna's face with whatever color she pleased. She did so, and after that they had fallen in love. This is why people across the globe today celebrate Holi by throwing colored powder at each other. </li></ul></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9eod35w8B6k/X2PtxtwFimI/AAAAAAAAGHc/g2B918-EFYog40QPAMiXE7y7_SVpeEkkACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/blog%2Bholi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1361" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9eod35w8B6k/X2PtxtwFimI/AAAAAAAAGHc/g2B918-EFYog40QPAMiXE7y7_SVpeEkkACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/blog%2Bholi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holi_Festival_of_Colors_Utah,_United_States_2013.jpg">Holi</a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rama Navani - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>this holiday celebrates the birth of Rama, the incarnation of Vishnu </li><li>celebrated by people reading The Ramayana and telling the tales of Rama</li><li>some celebrate by going to Temples, others celebrate in their homes</li><li>some people celebrate by playing music with their families</li><li>others celebrate by decorating small sculptures of Rama and then placing them in cradles</li><li>it celebrates the establishment of the Dharma</li><li>the good over evil</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5qotzASZ-RA/X2PwcGVrv2I/AAAAAAAAGHo/eWr4M72zpyYV2sYfV9-LV5B_tLZdRMATACLcBGAsYHQ/s564/Ram_Lalla_in_Shwetambar.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="564" height="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5qotzASZ-RA/X2PwcGVrv2I/AAAAAAAAGHo/eWr4M72zpyYV2sYfV9-LV5B_tLZdRMATACLcBGAsYHQ/w270-h263/Ram_Lalla_in_Shwetambar.jpeg" width="270" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama_Navami">Rama decorated and placed in a cradle </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Ganesh Chaturthi - </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>celebrates the arrival of Hindu Deity Ganesh to earth</li><li>clay idols are placed around homes, and in public places</li><li>chanting of Hindu texts and rituals, lasts 10 days</li><li>some people fast, while others indulge in sweets</li><li>in Mumbai alone there are about 150,000 statues that appear in the ten day span of the holiday</li><li>on the 10th day of the holiday, a massive clay statue of Ganesh is taken to a nearby body of water, either a river or a sea, and is placed in it. The statue starts to dissolve, and signifies Ganesh's return to Mount Kailash</li><li>the holiday signifies new beginnings, and the overcoming of obstacles.</li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tXaTR1kUQ_s/X2PyscTjVZI/AAAAAAAAGH0/8-yoIiXAvaYDGytzZenD8geUgBdZF8VlACLcBGAsYHQ/s1324/ganesh%2Bblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1324" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tXaTR1kUQ_s/X2PyscTjVZI/AAAAAAAAGH0/8-yoIiXAvaYDGytzZenD8geUgBdZF8VlACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ganesh%2Bblog.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesh_Chaturthi#/media/File:Lalbaugh_Ganesha.jpg">Ganesh </a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div><div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8830417751577210612.post-31734467972497499422020-09-15T23:59:00.002-06:002020-09-15T23:59:12.347-06:00Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana Part D<p> <b><u> Ramayana Part D:</u></b></p><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ravana tries to trick Sita into thinking Rama was killed, fake</li><li>Garuda heals Rama and his army, they too are enemies of Ravana's people</li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17.6px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kumbhakarna is woken from his slumber once a year</span></span></li><ul><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17.6px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">eats lots of food</span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 17.6px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">destroys people </span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17.6px;">drinks wine</span></span></li><ul><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17.6px;">is then killed by Rama's arrow</span></span></li></ul></ul><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Hanuman is sent to the Himalayas to acquire a healing herb for the army</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Ravana's son is slain, he seeks vengeance</span></span></li><ul><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">wants to kill Sita</span></span></li></ul><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Laksmana is pierced with an arrow by Ravana, Hanuman arrives with the himalayan herbs and saves him</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Rama gets assistance from the God's above and is sent backup to kill Ravana</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Rama uses a flaming bow that was given to him by Brahma and kills Ravana. The city and the God's rejoice</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Rama questions taking Sita back because she resided in the house of Ravana for so long</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Sita is sent into a fire as a test, to see if she is still pure.</span></span></li><ul><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">her loyalty is proven</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Rama takes her back</span></span></li></ul><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Rama returns after 14 years and is finally crowned King</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Sita was exiled by Rama because people in the community did not believe she was faithful while staying at Ravana's house. </span></span></li><ul><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Sita has two sons with a poet named Lava and Kusha </span></span></li><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Rama is taken back by this</span></span></li></ul><li><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: 17.6px;">Rama departs the world as Vishnu</span></span></li></ul><div>Bibliography - <a href="http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/ramayana-online-public-domain-edition.html">PDE Ramayana</a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E03oLae9ttk/X2GpmTPnd0I/AAAAAAAAGG4/PFgvjhu2rfIeaYdeYmHMtw95dqWqVhJ7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/blog%2Bravana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E03oLae9ttk/X2GpmTPnd0I/AAAAAAAAGG4/PFgvjhu2rfIeaYdeYmHMtw95dqWqVhJ7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/blog%2Bravana.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The mighty <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ravana_Statue.jpg">Ravana</a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p></p><ul></ul>Saad Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05446193645273545424noreply@blogger.com0