Reading Notes Part A - The Red Bud Tree

The Red-Bud Tree

Main Characters
Princes
Red-Bud Tree

Plot
In the forest there laid a wonderful tree called the Red-Bud Tree. There lived 4 princes who wanted to be the first to lay eyes on the tree. The eldest prince asked the chariot driver to take him to the forest where the Red-Bud Tree was. He saw a black and bare tree. Later in the spring, the next son went to the tree and saw the beautiful red buds. The third son went to visit the tree and saw that it was covered in green leaves. The youngest prince was taken to the tree and saw that it was covered with little bean pods. When the princes discussed the seemingly different tree, the king resolved their confusion. He said, "My sons, you have all four seen the same tree, but each of you saw it at a different time of year."

Setting
In the forest

Story Idea
A possible story idea that I would have is to use the original concept but possibly use different characters. Another story idea would be to have the tree be a person. This could be a take and insight on people with multiple personalities disorder. There could be four different personalities for the four different seasons. The person could be met by a person as four different times of the year, perhaps various holidays.

(Four seasons tree - image source)

Bibliography. "The Red-Bud Tree" by Ellen C. Babbitt in More Jatakas Tales. Web Source. 

Reading Notes Part A - Ganesha: The Remover of All Obstacles

Ganesha: The Remover of All Obstacles

Main Characters:
Ganesha
Gana
Shiva
Parvati

Plot:
One day, Parvati wanted privacy in her own home. She told Nandi, Shiva's attendant, to make sure no one walked into the house. As Shiva approached the house, Nandi did not stop him because that was his master. Parvati was shocked when she saw Shiva walk into her room. Parvati decided to create her own attendant, a youthful boy who she called her son. She commanded her son to not allow anyone in, which he did his job very well. He did his job so well that he scared off Devas and Ganas. It required Vishnu and Shiva to decapitate him. Parvati was very angry when she heard of the news. She sent her henchmen to kill all the Devas and Ganas. Shiva told his Ganas to obtain the head of the first creature they saw and attach it to the boy's body. The Ganas ran into a single tusk elephant and brought the boy back to life. Shiva gave him an honorable status and Parvati was happy once again.

Setting:
Mount Kaisala

Story Idea:
My story idea would be to tell the story in a movie script. I think there is a lot of opportunities for dialogue and action to portray in the story. I think it would be easy to convey the message without all the filler words that take away from it. I would like to name the youth, Nesha, before he became Ganesha. I would have assumed that his mother gave him a name rather than leaving him nameless. I would like to explore Parvati's side of the story as well. It seems like she is a very powerful person who only uses her powers when she feel the need. I wonder where and when she became so powerful. I believe it is a background story I would like to make up some time.

(Ganesha - Image Source)

Author's Note: Retrieved from the Amar Chitra Katha comic book, Vol 509, Ganesha: The Remover of all Obstacles

Reading Notes Part B - Karttikeya: A Son of Shiva

Karttikeya: A Son of Shiva

Main Characters:
Karttikeya
Shiva
Parvati
Asuras

Plot:
In this story, Karttikeya is conceived to defeat the Asuras who were wrecking havoc in the kingdoms. Karttikeya was born from six sparks that came off of Shiva. The sparks were brought to Ganga by Vayu and Agni. Ganga carried them to the Sharavana (a forest of reeds) where the sparks turned into 6 babies. Once the babies were born, Parvati stepped closer. Then, the babies merged into one with six heads. Karttikeya took down each ruling Asuras, which amounted to three in total. He first took Taraka. He took Simhamukha second. Finally he took Surapadman. Surapadman became Karttikeya's vehicle, which was a peacock, and an emblem, which was a flag post.

Setting:
Mount Kaisala
Udaya Mountain
The Kingdom of Asuras

Story Idea:
My story idea of this would be to tell the story in the point of view of Karttikeya. I would want to focus on mental age of him. He seemed like he was a kid when he was going to war with all the Asura. I would like to explore his mentality and how he dealt with the pressure of the responsibility he help before he was conceived.

(Karttikeya - Image Source)

Author's Note: Retrieved from the Amar Chitra Katha comic book, Vol 529, Karttikeya: A son of Shiva

Reading Notes: Tales of Shiva - Shiva the Fisherman Part A

Tales of Shiva - Shiva the Fisherman

Main Characters
Shiva
Parvati
Nandi

Plot
Shiva was telling a story to a bored Parvati. No matter how hard she tried, she could not become interested. Seeing the disinterest, Shiva casted her away to become a fisherwoman in the Paravar tribe. Shiva immediately realized and regretted his mistake. Meanwhile, Parvati grew into a beautiful, clever, and strong fisherwoman. Nandi, Shiva's servant, knew the distress of his master. He became a menacing shark where the Paravars where. Nandi tore the nets and boats to pieces. The chief offered Parvati's hand in marriage as a reward to capture the shark. Many young fishermen tried, but none succeeded. The villagers and Parvati prayed to the divine Gods. Shiva heard Parvati's prayer and went to the village. Shiva was able to capture Nandi since he surrendered himself. Shiva wed Parvati. Nandi assumed his true form as an ox and carried the couple to their rightful home.

Setting
Kailasa and Paravar village

Story Idea
A story idea I had was to tell the story in Parvati's point of view. From the moment she was bored with the story and then her life as she grew up. I would want to focus on the events where she transitions from a fisherwoman to Shiva's wife. I wonder if she regained all her memories or would Shiva have to retell her what happened.

(Shiva and Parvati on Nandi - Image Source)

Bibliography. Amar Chitra Katha comic book, Vol 549, Tales of Shiva: The Mighty Lord of Kailasa.

Reading Notes Part B: The Princes and the Water-Sprite

The Princes and the Water Sprite

Main Characters:
Prince of the Stars
Moon Prince
Sun Prince

Plot:
When the third prince was born, the king offered to uphold any promise the queen had. When the third son turned 21, the queen asked the king to give the kingdom to the third son. The king refused. The king said that it was the oldest and then the second son's by right. Afraid that the queen would harm the older sons, the king told the sons to go to the forest and live until he died. The youngest prince, seeing that his brothers were leaving, left with them too. The sun prince went to a pond owned by a water sprite. If the person goes to the pond and answers the question "What are the good fairies like?" correctly, they will not be in the sprite's power. The youngest prince answered wrong and the sprite carried him to his cave. The oldest king answered correctly and they lived happily ever after.

Setting:
In the forest near a pond

Story Idea:
A story idea that I had while reading the passage was to have the water sprite fall in love with the older prince. Since I am a sucker for love stories I thought it would be the best route. Another idea is to keep with the original story but have the water sprite eat the princes he captures or kills them. I am not the type of person to go the darker route though.

(Men and a water sprite - Image source)

Bibliography. Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt. The Baldwin Project. Web Source.

Reading Notes Part A: The Quarrel of the Quails

The Quarrel of the Quails

Main Characters:
Quails
A Fowler, someone who catches birds

Plot:
In the beginning, the man catches the quails by imitating the note the leader quail makes to gather all the other quails. He catches the quails and sells them in town. One day, the leader told the quails to work together and fly to the nearest thorn bush to free themselves. The plan works and the man is unable to sell the quails. The fowler waits patiently for the moment the quails have a quarrel to catch them. When the quails got into an argument, they were unable to work together and fly in unison. The fowler caught them all and sold them.

Setting:
In a field near a thorn bush

Story Idea:
A possible story idea I have is to reverse the roles in the end. I would like to see an ending where the quails turn on the man and capture him. Another possible story idea is to use the same concept and moral of the story with different characters and a different setting.

(Quails - Image Source)

Bibliography. Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt. The Baldwin Project. Web Source.

Reading Notes: The Indian Story Book: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Part B

Arjuna and Karna

Main Character 
Arjuna
Yudhishthira
Karna

Setting
On the battlefield

Plot
Arjuna and Karna are finally at battle with one another. During the battle, Karna manages to break Arjuna's bow. According to the rules of war and out of respect, Arjuna asks for time to retrieve a new weapon, but Karna continues with his attack. When Karna was about to attack, Arjuna manages to fix his bow and launches his bow. Karna's chariot wheel gets stuck to the ground. Karna asks Arjuna for time to fix his chariot well, but Arjuna continues on with his attack just like Karna did to him. Eventually, Arjuna shoots an arrow right into Karna and ends the battle

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(Arjuna and Karna - Image Source)

Bibliography. "The Indian Story Book: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu" by Richard Wilson, Illustrated by Frank Pape in 1914. Book Source.

Reading Notes: The Indian Story Book: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Part A

The Gambling Match

Main Characters
Yudhishthira
Duryodhana
Prince Shakini

Plot
Yudhishthira is now a king of a kingdom. Duryodhana is jealous so he decided to trick Yudhishthira in a gambling game of dice with the help of Prince Shakini. When they play the dice game, Prince Shakini cheats and Yudhishthira loses everything. He even gambles his brothers and himself. Finally, he loses Draupadi, his wife. Dhritarashtra is so surprised on his gambling addiction. He vows that the Pandavas will not be slaves and will go to the forest for exile. Draupadi refused to go to the point Prince Dushasana has to drag her out by her hair. She pleas for her husbands to avenge her but they do nothing. They offer Draupadi a wish. She wished to go into exile with her husbands. They spend 12 years in the forest and another year in disguise.

Story Idea
I have read several stories about this topic. I think I would write a story in the perspective of Yudhishthira. It would be a story about his gambling addiction and how he could not stop himself from losing everything. Prior to the gambling match, he probably was not tempted to gamble. However, when Duryodhana convinced him to gamble, it went downhill. Duryodhana probably knew exactly what to say and then that got the ball rolling. It did not help that Prince Shakuni cheated in order to win.

(The gambling match - image source)

Bibliography. "The Indian Story Book: The Five Tall Sons of Pandu" by Richard Wilson, Illustrated by Frank Pape in 1914. Book Source. 

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Part D

Bhima and Dushasana

Main Characters:
Bhima
Dushasana
Karna
Arjuna

Setting:
A battlefield

Plot:
Arjuna was enraged, he started fighting Susharman but then Karna started to attack as well. Brim decided to hold Karna until Arjuna finished fighting Susharman. It was only far for a one against one attack. Dushasana come to help Karna but Bhima reminded Dushasana about an oath. The oath that he made was to slay Dushasana and drink his blood because he showed his thigh to Draupadi and caused her shame. In the end, Bhima defeats Dushasana by chopping his head off and drinks his blood.

(Bhima and Dushasana fighting - Image Source)

Bibliography. "Bhima and Dushasana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. MacKenzie. Web Source.

Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE Part D

Sita Tested

Main Characters:
Rama
Sita
Brahma

Plot:
There was question about Sita's loyalty to Rama after Rama defeated Ravana. In order to prove her pure heart, she told Lakshmana to create a funeral pyre for her to walk in. If her heart belonged to Rama, she would remain untouched by the fire. When she walked into the fire pit, Brahma came down and told Rama that Rama was a reincarnation of Vishnu and Sita was a reincarnation of Lakshmi. Rama told Brahma that the reason for the doubt was for the people to believe that nothing went amidst when Sita was with Ravana. After Rama knew for certain that Sita was only in love with him, he was satisfied.

Setting:
Ashoka Grove

Story Idea:

For this story, I would like to explore Rama's opinion of the situation more. As a leader, he and Sita has to go through obstacles to prove to their people that they are worthy of the crown. Even though Rama believes that Sita was faithful, Rama knew that the people would need proof in order to accept Sita as their queen. I could only imagine how nervous Rama was when Sita walked into the pyre. The possibility of his love not coming out of the fire must have scared him. 

Sita in the funeral pyre - Image Source

Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie. Web Source.

Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE Part C

Sita and Ravana

Main Characters:
Hanuman
Sita
Ravana

Plot:
During this story, Hanuman - Rama's friend who was sent to find Sita - discovers where Sita is. At the moment, Ravana approaches Sita to be his wife instead of Rama's wife. In exchange for the marriage, Ravana promised Sita wealth and freedom. However, Sita's heart belongs to Rama. Sita rejects Ravana's offer and Ravana left Sita to the guards. Sita has 2 months to agree to the terms or she dies from a tortured death.

Setting:
In the Ashoka Grove

Story Idea:
I would like to tell the story in Ravana's point of view. It would be interesting to go through his thoughts on why Sita would be a suitable wife for him even though he has wives waiting for him. I believe that the point of view of the "villain" can be eye opening. The villain can often be skewed when the story is told in the point of view of the hero, in this case Rama.

Raven and Sita - Image Source

Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. MacKenzie. Web Source.

Reading Notes: Ramayana PDE Part B

The Golden Deer

Main Character:
Maricha
Rama
Sita

Summary:
Sita becomes enamored by a golden deer. She requests that Rama obtain it for her. Because Rama loves her, he tries to get the golden deer, falling into Ravana's plan. Ravana wanted to kidnap Sita. While, Rama was hunting the golden deer. he realized how unnatural the deer moved. He came to the conclusion to kill the golden deer rather than capture the deer for Sita. Unfortunately, while Rama killed Maricha, Maricha cried out imitating Rama. Sita went to seek out Rama, Ravana kidnapped her.

Setting: 
In the forest of Tataka

Story Idea: 
I would want to tell the story in the Maricha's point of view. There must have been a reason to why Maricha decided to join forces with Ravana. There is two sides to each story. How did Maricha feel when Rama tried to kill him? I could only imagine what was going through his mind when he managed to escape alive.

The Golden Deer - Image Source

Bibliography: "Ramayana - The Golden Deer" from Indian Myth and Legend. Web Source. 

Reading Notes: Ramayana, Part A

Ramayana: Part A

Main Character:

Dasharatha

Rama

Sita

Lakshmana

Manthara

Summary: It would seem that Dasharatha, a mighty king, is unable to bear any sons from his three queens, Kaushalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. In a desperate attempt, he performed the Ashwamedha, a horse sacrifice to the gods. Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and Indra came and promised that four sons would be born. The sons - Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna - had the marks of Vishnu. One day, Rama and Lakshmana set out on a quest with Vishvamitra. Visgvamitra told Rama a legend of a king named Ayodhya, who could not have children like Rama's father. Therefore, he asked the gods for their graces. He was granted Asamanja. Sagara tried to do a horse sacrifice, however the horse ran away. He sent his sons to find it, only to be reduced to ashes. Ayodhya, son of Asamanja, found the horse and helped complete the sacrifice. Rama found a holy wood which broke Ahalya's curse and brought he back to life. Rama falls in love with Princess Sita, whom their past avatars, Vishnu and Lakshmi, were also in love. The King uses this opportunity to conduct a competition between the two men. The successful suitor wins the hand of his daughter. The challenge is to bend the bow of Shiva. At the wedding of Rama and Sita, Rama's other brothers were able to find suitable brides from Janaka's family. King Dasharatha must make a choice between which son should carry the royal blood line. The house servant comes to find out that Rama was chosen and is unpleased. 

Setting: Hindustan

Story Idea: I would want to tell the story in the different points of views of the three wives to Dasharatha. I could only imagine the amount of drama that would occur in the royal household. It would be a Hindu version of the TLC Sister wives. Each mother would, of course, believe their son is the best regardless of what they have done. It would be interesting to see how each wife defends their son. Especially since one of them was able to convince the king to banish Rama. 

Ramayana - Image Source

Bibliography: Reading Part A. from PDE of Ramayana Indian Epics: Images and PDE Epics. Web Source.