Week 14 Reading Diary A: The Panchatantra

The Panchatantra

Numskull and the Rabbit

• I can understand the animals wanting the lion to stop eating their kin, buuut he's a lion. Is he supposed to be a vegetarian?
• Okay, all these interjections of sayings and morals is really annoying. How can you enjoy the story?
• Usually the trickster is a bad character, although here he is acting out of good
• This kind of reminds me of Narcissus and his reflection

The Ungrateful Man

• Wait, what?? Why was the goldsmith arrested! He was just reporting what he knew. It was the king who jumped to conclusions and said the Brahman must have killed the prince. 
• In reality, the snake is the hero here. The Brahman didn't do a thing
• What's the story with the prince?

The Plover Who Fought the Ocean

• I don't quite see how the story of the turtle and the birds relates to the plover and his wife. Is she trying to tell him to talk less? Or just that he is stupid?
• Those are some pretty interesting names for fish

Fishermen, from 15th century Latin Panchatantra (Source)

• SERIOUSLY, I don't get why she's telling her husband these stories. No connection whatsoever. 
• I guess the lesson is don't be stubborn and arrogant and you should probably listen to your wife more often. 
• Aw, poor elephant. It's no his fault! He shouldn't be punished 
• 
  

Week 13 Extra Reading Diary: Raja Rasalu

Raja Rasalu

• It seems to be a common motif that there is one good wife/mother and one bad wife/mother. Maybe this is why monogamy works...
• Raja Rasalu's followers are a big contrast to Rama's followers: they are few in number and are frightened by his power, not in awe of it
• I don't quite understand why the guards and old woman won't readily allow Rasalu to go in place of the son to be sacrificed to the giant. What do they care who it is?
• giants being fought - always reminds me of the stories of knights of King Arthur. I took an Arthurian literature class and read tons of these stories

Raja Rasalu bringing the sacrifices to the giant (Source)

• Sooo Raja Rasalu isn't really doing much to fight the giants. They're just running away from him in fear. This should be rewritten to be more interesting
• These are the dumbest giants ever, although giants usually are dumb in stories
• So he just wanted to see if the Queen was really as beautiful as everyone had said? Doesn't want to marry her or anything? This guy is a strange character for sure. I imagine the queen became love sick, like Sita when she saw Rama. 
• Oh okay so he just kind of FELT like being a king and took this kingdom from someone else?? Who the hell is this guy! 

The Dice and the Cricket

• Raja Rasalu kind of seems like a wizard. He did just bring a guy to life like it was nothing
• Hmmm interesting. Magic dice made of graveyard bones. That could be a story somehow

The Maidens Test Rasalu

• A guy has to pass the approval of 69 of this girls closest relatives? Psh, sounds like my family. 
• I gotta say, he's realllly not doing a great job of sucking up to these sisters

Week 13 Reading Diary B: Khasi Folktales (cont'd)

Khasi Folktales

The Leap of Ka Likai

• WTF this guy is seriously messed up. And people say women are over-emotional?
• Honestly, if I learned that I had just eaten the flesh of my own child, I'd probably go crazy, too. 
• Storytelling idea: the mom goes insane and the child comes back to haunt the step father

What Caused the Shadows on the Moon

• Interesting that both water and fire are girls. They probably felt a little neglected here
• This is such a cool story! I love that the sister throws hot ash in her brother's face
• Oddly enough, the moon is normally portrayed as female and the sun and male - why is it switched here?  

The moon (Source)

U Ksuid Tynjang

• This would make an INSANELY scary horror film. Creeeeeepy
• U Ksuid seems more like he should be a sympathetic character rather than the antagonist
• But really...tickling to death? What is this?

Week 13 Reading Diary A: Khasi Folktales

Khasi Folktales

The Tiger and the Monkeys

• I have literally always wondered why the lion is the king of the jungle...here it is the tiger, but still, I have an answer now!
• For being a wild and unruly bunch, I am impressed by their diplomatic counsel to choose a king
• Interesting that the king is chosen based on physical strength rather than wisdom or merit. What if we chose our leaders based on that? (Ahem Arnold Schwarzenegger)
• Brains over brawn, I've always said 

The Legend of the Lei Tree

•  What would the world be like had the wood cutters not listened to the wren, and the tree covered the entire world in shadows?

Lei tree (Source)

Hunting the Stag Lapalang

• This reminds me of something I heard on the radio once. A woman was talking about how much our culture and society holds onto the dead for as long as possible (tombstones, burials, funerals, etc.)

The Goddesses Ka Ngot and Ka Iam

•  Basically the tortoise and the hare

U Biskorum

• This like the story of original sin, except I like this way better because the people are punished as a group. They all messed up, not just one person
• How could I tell the story of Adam and Eve with this plot? 

The Stag and the Snail

• Again, this is very much like the tortoise and the hare! Must be a really important lesson to people for it to be retold so many different times

Week 11 Reading Diary A: Indian Fairy Tales

Indian Fairy Tales

• The Lion and the Crane 
•  I wonder what it is about lions that always makes them dumb and mean in stories like these. 
• I like that the lion was basically like, "I don't give a frick what you did for me, I'm still king"
• The Broken Pot
• Hahaha - this story just makes me laugh. This is totally the case with people who just overthink things waaay too much 
• The Magic Fiddle 
• Vaguely reminds me of the scene in "Alice in Wonderland", when the water keeps on rising and rising because of her giant tears
• It's like the poor girls soul is stuck in the fiddle and her sadness can be heard every time it is played. What if that was a story? A fiddle that only plays sadly
• Look up what a Bonga is??

The Bonga girl filling up her pail. (Source)

• The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal
• This is also a great story, and very similar to another one I've read in the untextbook. 
• I like that, for once, the trickster uses his tricks for good! 
• I'd like to see it as the jackal being a woman, the Brahman still a brahman (or maybe even a child), and the tiger a man
• The Charmed Ring 
• when the ogress disguises herself as a hag to get to the princess, it's like Snow White - what if I told that story that way?
• Why is the princess such a mindless person in this story?

Week 10 Reading Diary A: The Mahabharata cont.

• What would it have been like to stay at Duryodhana's camp? Such merriment and fun, they were all probably oblivious to his malicious and greedy intentions - pg 102
• Chasing and hunting a deer because someone in distress asked him to do so; this is very much like when Sita asked Rama to catch her the golden deer. I wonder if this is a trap? - pg 104
• Arjuna's choice of disguise while staying in Matsya is extremely interesting! What would make him want to be that way? What would it be like for him to see the privacy of a ladies' chamber?  - 109
• The fact that the Queen herself feels threatened by Draupadi's beauty is an alarming sentiment. Rather than feel threatened, she should appreciate Draupadi's kindness and friendship and use her own power to protect her. - pg 113

Draupadi with Kichaka (Source)

• WHAT THE F$%&! She gets molested and when her husband defends her honor and kills the asshole, SHE get's blamed?? I can't handle this. If I wrote it differently, Draupadi would kick some ass
• The encounter between the Prince and Arjuna is pretty funny - could be written very comically
• Every part of the battle preparations seems to be out of trickery or spies - that's just not right! Sometimes it's hard to remember that the good guys aren't always good 

Week 9 Reading Diary B: Narayan's "The Mahabharata"

• Duryodhana is seriously evil. What is wrong with people! The Pandavas didn't do anything to him 
• Dhritarashtra's indecisiveness of whether he likes the Pandavas or not is so annoying. There's nothing worse than someone who flip-flops all the time. How is this guy even king?
• People are advising Dhritarashtra to do all different things. This guy should just tell them to all go to hell and make up his own mind (61)
• The moment Vidura tells the Pandavas that they can return home and Yudhistira is contemplating it in his mind - storytelling post could describe the festivities and happiness of their new life, and now getting this news. How do you decide that?
• What if Krishna hadn't been there to reassure them to return home?
• What would Indraprastha be like? A beautiful futuristic city 
• Tell the story of Sunda, Upasunda, and Tilottama (64)

Ulupi, princess of the serpent world. (Source)

• Ulupi, princess of the serpent world?? Marries Arjuna during his exile

Week 7 Reading Diary B: Twenty-Two Goblins cont'd

Twenty-Two Goblins

Hawk killing a snake (Source)

• The Snake's Poison
• This story has the same characters as one of the others! That's kind of cool that some of them intersect. Makes for a complicate life though 
• The hawk kills the snake and it's poison just happens to squirt out and into the guys food. That's just bad luck 
• Seriously, the woman is ALWAYS blamed in these stories. 
• Again, some of the answers to these riddles are dumb. Yeah the guy was dumb for blaming the woman, but that doesn't mean the death was his fault. I'd have gotten this goblin to the monk in no time with all my wrong answers
• The Girl and the Thief 
• "But she was prudent and did not like men". FINALLY SOME SENSE 
• I take it back...she wants to marry the thief about to be executed. Dumb people always fall for the "bad" one. 
• This story is age-old! Dad tells the daughter she can't date the boy, daughter wants to date the boy even more. Good grief
• The General's Wife 
• Everyone who saw this girl fell and in love with her and went crazy with passion? Sucks. Reminds me of Rogue in X-men
• Hahaha women were warned to stay indoors, otherwise they would see the king, fall in love with him, and then be lovesick? priceless
• Their love at first sight is very similar to Rama and Sita's first encounter
•  This one I actually agree with - the King was more deserving
• The Four Brothers 
• "No matter how carefully won and guarded, three things are fickle and bring sorrow at the last: evil friendships, a flirt, and money." Preach. 
•  Father and Son, Daughter and Mother
• These are the best kinds of riddles!
• The goblin actually turned out to be good...hm, maybe they just have a bad reputation

Week 7 Reading Diary: Twenty-Two Goblins

Twenty-Two Goblins Unit

• Introduction
• A gem hidden in a fruit is a sure-fire way to crack a few teeth. Also, how the crap did he get a gem inside a fruit??
• Some crazy monk asks the King to go grab a dead body hanging from a tree and he does it no questions asked...what kind of kingdom is this!
• Just the word goblin sounds creepy and I don't trust this thing one bit. 
• The Three Lovers 
• From the notes: oooh, that is a tricky thing! Why couldn't the king not have listened to the goblin as he spoke and then said he didn't know the answer?
• OI! Why do people go so crazy for beauty? Not that there's anything wrong with being beautiful but I mean...this guy slept on her ashes? Yikes!
• My guess: she should marry the one who dipped her bones in the Ganges (although, really, if they're fighting over her maybe no one should get to marry her!
•  Ah well, I suppose that makes sense? 
• Brave, Wise, Clever 
• Okay but really, why are all these riddles about who the girl should be given to?
• My guess: the wise man?
• Wrong again! The Brave man.
• The Girl, Her Husband, and Her Brother 
• What is the matter with these people?! Okay, cool, let me just sacrifice my head to this goddess but my body will still live
• Annnd there goes the brother's head, too
• Notice the women never do anything stupid? All their decisions are smart
• My guess: it basically comes down to what makes a person - their brain or their heart? I'm going to say their brain soo the one who is her husband is the one with her husband's head 

The goddess Gauri, who the husband sacrifices his head to. (Source)

• Food, Women, Cotton 
•  Everyone's just too damned special to carry a turtle
• Just curious...but how do you become a connoisseur of women? ;))
• A goaty smell...she perfumed her "neighborhood"...oh my god
• The third brother is like the princess and the pea! Hahah
• Uhhh don't really think the third brother is the cleverest! Sorry King

Week 6 Reading Diary (Extra): Folktales of Bengal

 Folktales of Bengal

• The Evil Eye of Sani
• gods turning to humans for advice...they definitely don't have the same concept of deities as we do!
• love the loyalty between Sribatsa and Chintamani
• Chintamani's abduction, Sribatsa's search 
• a big pile of brick-like gold poop...cool...
• Lakshmi is mean - rather than making Chintamani ugly to save her, SHE SHOULD HAVE JUST SAVED HER
• Communicated through signs and gestures, these folks really are smart!
• Possibly a cursed garden which Sribatsa fixed with his presence?
• The Boy Whom Seven Mothers Suckled
•  WHAT?! Infanticide and cannibalism...this is definitely not your average folktale (although the original folktales of Grimm fairytale are usually pretty gruesome).
• This little boy is awesome. 
• Even if some rakshasis are evil, they have some pretty cool magic 

Poppies! (Source)

•  The Origin of Opium  
•  Oh boy, I don't trust this mouse. He's like the mouse in that book "If you give a mouse a cookie..." - always wants more more more! 
• This mouse is crazy! First he ridicules women and then wants to be one?
• I did not see the end of that coming! What an interesting story of how opium was created. Do people really have those characteristics when they smoke it?

•  The Ghost Brahman
•  Cowboys are so clever. Classic.

Week 6 Reading Diary B: Tales of Bidpai cont'd.

Tales of Bidpai

• The Hare, The Fox, and the Wolf - first time I can recall a female animal being the trickster
• The Sparrows and the Snake - am I the only one who read this and immediately thought of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?? Guess birds and snakes have never gotten along! Interesting that the sparrow didn't actually kill the snake himself. Brains over buff
• The Frog, The Crab, and the Serpent - why do the frog and the crab live in the same area?? Was there no separation of climates back then?
• The Blind Man and the Snake - moral of the story: being blind sucks

Adder (Source)

• The Camel Driver and the Adder - that Adder was a bitch! Although he did have a point, as did the cow and the tree. But hey, for once the trickster fox used his wit for good and not evil! Glad to see the Camel driver get away. 

Week 6 Reading Diary A: Tales of Bidpai

Tales of Bidpai

• Intro - the four paragraphs summarizing all the kings books? Genius! Basically what any story is always about

A rose tree (Source)

• The Rustic and the Nightingale - there should have been a purpose for the bird ripping at the roses. And why does the Rustic get a pot of gold just for letting her go??
• The King, The Falcon, and the Drinking Cup - this was good! Definitely a favorite. Could be fun to expand upon. Humans suck. 
• The Two Travelers - Salem is my kind of guy, I would second guess this inscription, too! People in tales always make foolish and rash decisions, but he's thinking clearly. 
• The Poor Man and the Flask of Oil - oh my god, seriously? This would happen to me...
• The Merchant and his Iron - LOL! That asshole got served 
• The Gardner and the Bear - oh, this could definitely be rewritten as a funny misunderstanding

Week 5 Reading Diary A: Buck's Ramayana

pg 110-161

• Bharata's dream as possible story (111) 
• I can really picture the city after the King's death. Like an old mining town that thrived in the 50s but now is desolate and empty
• I like the interaction between Bharata and the queens in this version better than in Narayana's
• Possible story: Kaikeyi in her next life - what will it be like? (117)
• Birth of beautiful women from tree vines
• Bharata and his mother hugging after Kaikeyi was 'forgiven' is a nice addition. Her shame makes her more likable 
• Rama and Sita going for a walk in the forest - what would they talk about? Beautiful scenery setting

Rama shooting the crow that attacked Sita (Source)

• What is the point of the crow scenario?

Week 4 Reading Diary B: Rama's Exile

pg 60-109

• Dasaratha's visions (63)
• Kaikeyi saving Dasaratha's life in the chariot
• Very good description of Kaikeyi's transformation and how she is found on the floor of the anger room (where can I get one of those?) 

Dasaratha finds Kaikeyi in the anger room (Source)

• How well did Kausalya and Kaikeyi get along after Rama's exile?
• Lakshamana points out that NOTHING angers Rama, even when he is being wronged. At least somebody said it! 
•  Sita gives some sass here - I like that! 
• Lakshmana is great in Rama's exile. Buck's version has just made me like him more! So much more real and relatable (thought I think Buck portrays Rama in a more personable way, too) (99)

Week 4 Reading Diary A: Buck's Ramayana

pg 1-59

• Why would Buck choose to introduce the story with a song from Indrajit? I can't figure that out
• Sauti describes the Ramayana as a story of romance and love and wild adventure - not sure that's how I read Narayana's version, but we'll see where Buck takes is
• Sita has been Rama's wife for ten thousands years - is this literal or a figure of speech? Has that much time passed since the Battle of Lanka?
• It is so strange to have the abandonment of Sita described from someone out of view. IT reminds me of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when they turn back time and witness events that just happened but from an outside perspective.
• Ganga the River Goddess tempting people to suicide??

Ganga trying to drown Bhishma (Source)

• I like that Valmiki watches the story of Rama and Sita through water in his cupped hand - best drive-in theater ever! 
• This is nowhere near how poets in ancient Greece and Rome composed their songs
• Love the description of Ayodhya here (10)
• I like the flow of the story, especially the transition from the sacrifice to Indra and then then to Indra who had just fought a battle against Ravana
• LOVE the encounter between Indra and Brahma - I would have reacted the exact same way (12)
• Really glad Buck included a physical description of Rama and Lakshmana 
• Description of different ages is very interesting - reminds me of Ovid's Metamorphoses and how he talked about the golden age/bronze age/etc.
• Door under the ocean (25)

Week 3 Reading Diary B: Battle of Lanka

pg 131-170

• Oddly enough, the beginning of this chapter shows a more humane side of Ravana. That's the funny thing about these characters - the good and bad is hardly ever so straightforward. It's kind of fuzzy
• Again, the sense of time is more apparent here - I mean, they built a freakin' bridge across the ocean! How long would that have taken?

 

Rama threatening to vanquish the sea (Source)

•  Seems nice that one of Ravana's wives would help Sita and tell her that Rama is not really dead. 
• Ravana is just a wuss and is too prideful. It's obvious that he's not going to be able to defeat Rama
• Even in the midst of war, Rama thinks of everything. Like whether or not the chariot sent to him is a trap or not. And he's STILL trying to get Ravana to surrender so that he does not have to kill him. As if it really makes a difference now that thousands of soldiers have been killed
• The illusion and psychological warfare is badass
• Seriously...Rama requests that Sita get cleaned up before coming out to see him!? That's just ridiculous. I don't understand things like that
• Ugh, bitch move, Rama, bitch move. Even if they did end up together. 

Week 3 Reading Diary A: Talking Animals, Sugreeva

pg 89-130

• It's interesting that all these characters are animals, and yet that is totally normal. Even in fairy tales or nursery rhymes that's the case too. I bet the animals wish they couldn't talk so they wouldn't have get caught up in the disaster that is human life
• I'm glad they specified that Hanuman was a 'giant' monkey - or human sized, as I am imagining him. Often times when there is a talking monkey, I just imagine it being regular sized and it becomes more comical than anything. Think Zach Braff as the monkey in 'Oz: The Great and Powerful'. 

Finley, the monkey in 'Oz: The Great and Powerful'. (Source)

• I seriously dislike stories about human's doing favors for gods. The gods are supposed to be these all-powerful beings, but here they are always asking favors of humans, which almost always ends badly for whoever gives them help. 
• I feel bad for Sugreeva because Vali is obviously a little power hungry, but the former has to be a little more aggressive and decisive if he wants to be king 
• WHY would the gods grant a demon buffalo the wish the fight forever?? Seriously they are just asking for trouble 
• Rama's grief for not protecting his wife is touching
• Vali is terrifying. 
• Tara is the voice of reason right now! And this meathead can't see it. Tsk tsk 
• Lakshmana and Rama's short discussion about whether they should go through with the plan is interesting! They always have contradicting points that bring the full picture together
• It's dumb that Vali is lecturing Rama about virtue, considering how he has behaved. He's just mad he lost! 
• The apparent transformation of Sugreeva from wimpy man to lazy, cocky king is weird - no explanation as to why he got that way? Wine and pretty girls aren't really a reason
• Tara stepping up! I like this woman/monkey
• You really get a sense of how long it's been since Sita was kidnapped...I mean, in movies it happens so quickly, but through books you realize it's probably taking years for her to be rescued 
• What is the purpose of the tunnel/trapped goddess story?

Week 2: Reading Diary B (Ramayana by Narayan)

Pg 53-89

• Lakshmana's anger at Rama being exiled and not getting the crown is admirable, I think! Even if he did go a little overboard with it
• Sita's determination to stay by Rama's side is awesome! Seems like the first positive depiction of women (53)
• Again, not the usual kinds of conflicts you would expect. Although the one wife was able to get what she wanted, Bharatha was innocent and did not want to rule the kingdom. To be wanting the kingdom for his brother is unlike what you would normally see in a story like this 
• "You are the soul. I am the body. We are one" (62)
• Jatayu - divinity in eagle form
• I don't trust this Kamavalli character
• This encounter between Rama, Kamavalli and Sita in the forest is just funny. I can picture the two inside the fence and the one on the outside, the latter desperately trying to deceive and win over Rama (67)
• This chick has it bad - Rama must be really handsome
• Ravana banishes all the seasons - (77)
•  Lakshmana seems to be the voice of reason here; he can see past the trickery of the golden deer
• Is it wrong that I feel like Sita kind of had this coming? I mean, she should have listened to Lakshmana!

Ravana kidnapping Sita (Source)

Week 2: Reading Diary A (Ramayana by Narayan)

Ramayana by Narayan (pg 1-53)

• The short background they give about the sage is interesting - he was a dreaded name before he gave up being king? How can you be such a feared king and then become a nice old sage? (7)
• I feel like in most old stories we hear about kings, the men are always strong and aggressive almost to the point of cruelty. Here the king is quite opposite that - he's extremely concerned about sending Rama off with the sage. 
• "You cannot count on the physical proximity of someone you love all the time" (9) - what at an awesome quote! Kind of like if you love someone, let them go
• Cool/terrifying description of the desert (10)
• Thataka's story (11) - children running around wreaking havoc, what else is new!
• Scene where the sage and priests are doing rituals while war and fire rage above would make an awesome picture (16)
• Ahalya's story (19) - I hate to e crude, but is this where we get the word "pussycat"?? Haha I laughed at that. Story is similar to a lot of roman mythology: god lusts after woman, woman is deceived, woman  somehow always gets the blame!
• When Rama and Sita meet for the first time <3 (23)
• Sita seems a little overdramatic, but I like her!
• The description of the wedding and parade of people reminds me of Arthurian literature I've read - very detailed and lists of all who was there 

Rama defeating Thataka (Source)