Reading Notes: Mahabharata Online Film, Part B

The Pandavas. Source

Mahabharata Online Films, link to the online videos

• Wife blindfolded herself to share her husband's condition
• The sage gave her a mantra to summon any god that she chooses
• She tested the gift and called the sun god and she was in shocked once it actually worked and summoned him
• Gave a child with golden earrings and armored as well
• However, she was unmarried and knew that she could not keep the child
• She placed the child in a basket and took him to the river
• She placed the basket on the waves of the river and watched it float away
• Pandu and two others decided to spend some quiet time in the forest
• The tribes in the forest taught the group how to be gods
• Pandu made a mistake and shot a hermit coupled making love
• The hermit cursed Pandu
• The minute that Pandu makes love with a woman, he will die
• Kunti helps Pandu get a son by using her mantra
• Kunti refused to use the mantra to get sons
• Pandu got 5 sons from Kunti
• Pandu forced himself on a woman and it caused him to die due to the curse
• Bheem receives the strength of 1000 elephants
• Drona trains the Pandavas
• The Pandavas learn the ways of the war and use of weapons
• Drona noticed each of his student's gifts
• Charioteer, swordsman, strength (mace weapon), could wield all weapons equally but was the best with archery
• Someone shut a dog up with arrows
• The dog was not hurt but the mouth was sealed shut using perfectly shot arrows
• The mysterious archer said he was taught by Drona
• Drona refused the mysterious forester as a student

Reading Notes: Mahabharata Online Film, Part A

Bhishma. Source

Mahabharata Online Films, link to the online videos

• Story can be said to start at many points
• Account of how karma functions - cause and effect
• Drowned their first child
• The king did not ask his wife any questions
• The queen killed their next 6 children
• The king could not hold silence anymore when she was about to kill the 8th child
• The skilled archer at the river was the kings son (16 years later)
• It was clear that the king was upset after the fisherman's daughter rejected his offer in marriage
• The prince (king's son) met with the fisherman to try to convince him to let his daughter marry his father, even offering to give up the throne when it would be time so her children can reign
• His son will be able to choose the time of his death
• Bhishma kept his promise of watching the throne
• Bhishma acted as a father to his two half-brothers
• Bhishma worried if something happened to his brother, there would be no one to claim the throne
• Bhishma starts the cycle of his death
• Terrible illness killed the king, no one to take the throne
• Bhishma refuses to father the children
• Child would be born pale and with poor health
• Need to create alliances with other powerful kingdoms
• Sister blindfolded herself for life

Week 5 Storytelling: Misunderstood

Working on a new discovery. Source.

Misunderstood

Rama and his group of friends were walking through the courtyard at their private high school. This group of friends were the popular students at the school that everyone wanted to be a part of or hang out with. The group of friends were about thirty minutes late to class and it did not seem that the teachers or anyone cared because of their status. This was probably because Rama was part of an elite family in the area.

The next day a student named Ravana was running late to class as well. It was a rainy day, so he was completely soaked and splashed by cars speeding through the puddles on his daily walk to the campus. He walked into the same class that Rama was late in previously by a few minutes and the teachers sent him to the principal’s office. The principal gave Ravana a detention for being late. Ravana was the kid that no one liked in this school. It is not that he was a bully or anything. Ravana just seemed different and did not fit in with the other students or the staff.

The popular girl in the school was named Sita. Of course, Sita and Rama were a couple and everyone was jealous of this power couple. Sita was an incredibly beautiful girl and Ravana wanted to be with her more than anything. This made Ravana envy Rama even more.

Every year, this high school has something similar to a science fair where groups compete against each other with invention ideas and it is called the Invention Fair. Rama and his group were on the same team as usual. However, since Ravana did not have any friends he was in a group by himself. Ravana was extremely clever and focused a lot of his time on schoolwork since he never is invited to parties, events, or anything. Ravana decided that this time he was going to come out on top of Rama.

This event lasted for the last two months of the school year and students were allowed to work on the project during class time. Ravana spent at least six hours a day doing research and working on prototypes for his project. Rama was often out hanging with friends and did not really put much effort in, but of course he would have something to turn in during the competition.

Rama ended up paying a small firm to make a prototype of his invention since money was not a problem for him. Rama’s invention, however, was not a very good idea and was actually something that already exists. Rama "invented" a phone case that can be placed on a cell phone and charge it. Ravana had a great idea but he did not have the money to produce it. Ravana made a device that was similar to a breathalyzer where a patient can breath into it. The device then printed out data to find traces of cancer. At the fair, a lot of people liked the fabrication of Rama’s project but they did admit that this item already exists. When they viewed Ravana’s project, it was a great idea that a lot of businessmen were actually extremely interested in.

Ravana was able to start a company based off of his idea and became a well-liked individual in the industry. Even though Ravana had an extremely difficult time in high school, his work ended up paying off and he became successful.

Author's Note:

I wanted to write a story based on the characters Rama and Ravana. I changed the setting to be taking place in a high school environment where Ravana was the nerdy kid and somewhat misunderstood. Even though high school was not a great place for him, he persevered through and became successful.

The person who wins is said to always be the one that tells their version of the story. For example, “only the victors write the history textbooks” and this could somewhat be applied the Ramayana. Since Rama was ultimately the victor, maybe the audience only knows his side of the story and not Ravana’s. If Ravana won, then maybe the audience would tend to agree with Ravana’s point of view because it would be more aimed towards his motives. I am not saying that it is the case for the Ramayana but it is something to think about. In the story I wrote, Rama looked like the cool kid that had everything going to him while Ravana was the nerd that no one really wanted to be around and I feel like this can be seen parallel to the actual story. Even though in this story it was not about Ravana defeating Rama by killing him, it was Ravana defeating Rama by working hard on the project.

Public Domain Ramayana, link to the reading online.

Week 6: Story Planning: Continuation of Wonder Woman and Rama Series

Wonder Woman. Source

For the story next week, I am planning to continue my Wonder Woman mix with the Hindu gods. I am unsure if I will be introducing any new characters from the Mahabharata just yet. I really enjoyed writing about the clash of the two universes. The last story focused in on the first time that there was a meeting between the Hindu characters, Rama and Hanuman, and Wonder Woman in the metropolitan scene.

For the next story, I want to do either a prequel or a sequel. If I do a prequel, I was thinking that I want to focus in on Wonder Woman and maybe somehow link her to the Hindu gods and that is why the portal appeared near Rama and brought them near her. It would be interesting to almost do a Superman style where he was born on another planet and brought to earth for safety. However, in this story, Wonder Woman would have maybe been born in the Rama era and teleported somehow to this new dimension in the modern-day metropolitan that she currently lives in. Somehow, she might be linked to a Hindu god and that is why she has some of the abilities that she does.

If I do a sequel, I might jump into another action scene with Rama and Hanuman fighting against modern weapons and villains with Wonder Woman. If I do choose to do the sequel first, I want to implement some kind of interaction that would trigger the next story I write to flash back to a prequel similar to what is mentioned above. I like being able to use the comic book pictures that are out there between Wonder Woman and Rama and revolving my story around them.

Therefore, whatever direction I decide to go, prequel or sequel, I think that I will continue on my Week 3 story with Wonder Woman and Rama.

Public Domain Ramayana, link to the reading online.
Pikapost. link to the website.

Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part D

Vyasa summons the ghosts at the Ganges River. Source.

Public Domain Mahabharata, link to the reading online.

• Amba had a vow to seek revenge, bring about Bhishma's death in her next life
• After, Bhishma's fall, Drona takes command of Duryodhana's armies and vows to make Yudhishthira his prisoner
• Arjuna voews to defend his brother no matter what
• Arjuna loses his son, Abhimanyu
• Bhima loses his rakshasa son, the mighty warrior, Ghatotkacha
• Bhima will secure his revenge for Duhshana's treatment of Draupadi
• Karna died
• Duryodhana is alive and uses his supernatural powers to take refuge beneath the waters of a lake
• Bhishma has the gift of choosing the moment of his own death
• Bhishma is wasting for the solstices and before he dies he will instruct the survivors of the battle on how to rule the world that has survived
• Vyasa will conjure up the ghosts of the dead warriors (photo above)
• A hunter mistook Krishna for an animal and shot on arrow at Krishna that killed him
• After Krishna dies, the Pandavas and Drauapdi decide to end their time on earth

Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part C

Cattle Raid. Source.

Public Domain Mahabharata, link to the reading online.

• The Pandavas are in a long period of exile in the forest similar to Rama
• Krishna pays a visit to the Pandavas in exile
• Ajuna went out on his own when he violated Draupadi's private time with Yudhishthira
• Arjuna is the god Indra
• Indra is Arjuna's father
• Arjuna goes to Swarga, Indra's heavenly house, where he meets Urvashi
• Hanuman, from the Ravana, is in this story too
• Bhimna, Hanuman's half-brother, encounters Hanuman
• Hanuman and Bhimna are sons of Vayu, the wind god
• When Karna was bord, his body was clad in golden armor and he had earrings that were a token of invincibility
• Draupadi faces terrible danger in the forest, similar to Sita
• The final year of Pandavas' exile must be spent in hiding
• Bhima defense Draupadi but she will claim that the deed was done by her husband who is an immortal gandharva
• Duryodhana and his allies attack King Virata and steal his cattle
• The Pandavas come to King Virata's defense
• Pandavas' exile is finally over
• Krishna tries to avoid war and make peace between the factions
• Krishna reveals to Karna the secret of his birth and tells him to go to the Pandavas in peace, assuring him that they will not only accept him but regard him as their elder brother
• The Bhagavad-Gita, "Lord's Song," is the most famous part of the Mahabharata
• Bhishma is the general of the Kaurava forces but does not feel the same loyalty to Duryodhana that Karna does

Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part B

Image of Krishna. Source. (beautiful art for Mahabharata scenes)

Public Domain Mahabharata, link to the reading online.

• Pandava brothers lived in the wilderness
• The Pandava brothers will face many dangers while they living in hiding
• Love affair between Bhima and rakshasi
• Bhima defeated the rakshasa Hidimba
• Bhima has to battle an asura known as Baka
• The Pandavas are disguised as brahmins
• It is not uncommon for kings to have many wives in the epics
• However, Draupadi has five husbands (the Pandavas) and that is something that no one would expect
• Yudhishthira becomes a king
• Arjuna breaks a rule and must leave for a period of exile
• Arjuna and Chitra marry and have a son
• Their son stays in Manipur and goes on to become king
• Arjuna and Krishna have a special connection
• Arjuna however marrys her sister, Subhadra
• Yudhishthira declares himself as a supreme monarch by performing a Rajasuya sacrifice
• Bhima swears terrible oaths during the gambling scene that will drive the rest

Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part A

Mahabharata. Source.

Public Domain Mahabharata, link to the reading online.

• Devavrata is the son of King Shantanu and the goddess Ganga
• Davavrata is a human but has the powers of the eight gods, Vasus
• How can he have a human and divine identity?
• Satyavati is Vyasa's mother
• Bhishma seizes the three daughers of the king of Kashi to be brides for his sons Shantanu and Satyavati
• Only two of the women can be brides
• Amba has a story of her own
• Amba becomes a part of Bhishma's life
• Kunti will be King Pandu's wife
• This story parallels a lot of stuff from Ramayana
• Pandu gets cursed by a sage that he killed when he was shaped like a deer
• Kunti raises the five sons of Pandu by herself
• Kunti brings the 5 boys to Pandu's royal city
• The blind king, Dhritarashtra, gives the fives sons a home
• Duryodhana tries to kill Bhima
• Bhima goes down into the underworld king of the mighty serpents called nagas, which causes Bhima to become supernaturally strong
• Drona will be the guru to the Pandavas and the Kauravas
• When the Pandavas and Kauravas are trained as warriors, the will participate in a tournament
• Arjuna appears to be the winner of the contest but then Karna appears
• Karna is the son of Kunti and the sun god
• Arjuna and Karna do not realize that they are brothers

Feedback Focus - Ryan McElyea

Focus on your tasks. Source.

For the reading out loud technique I read "Why Dog and Cat are Enemies" out loud to my dog. I feel like it was interesting to spend more time focusing in on the story and hearing the story as I spoke it out loud. I really liked this story too! I felt bad for the poor dog! :(

For the copy-and-delete technique I read "What Makes the Lightning." This technique did not really work that well for me and I did not like having to go back and delete the previous paragraphs upon completion. The little notes helped but I did not see the benefit of deleting the previous paragraph.

For the time technique I read "Midterm Madness." Personally I did not like this technique much. I was fine focusing on the entire story from start to finish but when I went back to try to write notes, that is where I found myself kind of lost.

If I had to rank them in order I would do:
1. Reading out loud
2. Copy-and-delete
3. Timer

Week 4 Story Planning: The Divine Archer

An example of a "group" at work. LinkedIn

For this story I was thinking of using the two sides (Rama and Ravana) and put them both in a modern setting like at a university or working in industry. Maybe Rama is working on one product and Ravana is working on another and they are competing to impress the girl (Sita). For the story planning this week, I essentially took my reading notes and kept the relevant notes and discuss how they can be transformed to fit the story. The ideas are in parenthesis. This story might completely change but it is what I thought could be a possible approach.

• There were four sons that were born: Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna (Maybe say Rama's 3 brothers are his friends instead of brothers)
• Rama is the god Vishnu in human form (Rama is the cool kid)
• Sita and Rama fall in love (Sita likes Rama because he is the cool kid)
• Sita is also a goddess that is in human form (Sita is just some pretty girl)
• Agastya gives Rama weapons that will help him in later battles (Rama gets to work on the interesting project or something)
• Ravana has 10 heads and 20 arms (Ravana can be the weird kid)
• Vibhisnaha is Ravana's brother however he is on Rama's side (Vibhisnaha wants to be on Rama's side since Ravana is the weirdo)
• Sita refuses Ravana constantly (Sita thinks she is too cool to talk to Ravana)
• Ravana sentences Hanuman to death (Ravana makes one of the cool kids with Rama disappear)
• The fire ends up setting Lanka on fire (Indicates the start of a competition or something)
• Kumbhakarna, Ravana's GIANT brother, wants Ravana to give Sita back to Rama
• Both sides get ready to fight (Maybe the two groups on working on different projects or capstone topics and Ravana tries to sabotage Rama)
• Rama shoots off Ravana's crown when he arrives (Rama is being a jerk to Ravana)
• The battle lasts all day
• Rama slays Ravana (I'm not sure if I want Ravana or Rama to be victorious)

The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould. link to website.

Reading Notes: The Divine Archer, Part B

A girl with a bow. Source

The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould. link to website.

• (Part B is much shorter than Part A)
• Rama kills Vali with an arrow
• Rama gives Hanuman his ring as a token for Sita
• Hanuman goes to Lanka
• Vibhisnaha is Ravana's brother however he is on Rama's side
• Vibhisnaha tells Hanuman where Ravana is keeping Sita
• Ravana is keeping Sita at the ashoka grove
• Sita refuses Ravana constantly
• Hanuman finally speaks to Sita and gives her Rama's ring
• Haunman is then taking to Ravana's court
• Ravana sentences Hanuman to death
• Vibhishana does not let Ravana put him to death
• Ravana sets Hanuman's tail on fire instead
• The fire ends up setting Lanka on fire
• Sita gives Hanuman a jewel to give to Rama
• Queen Mandodari wants Ravana to have peace with Rama
• Kumbhakarna, Ravana's GIANT brother, wants Ravana to give Sita back to Rama
• Both sides get ready to fight
• Rama and his army build a bridge to Lanka 
• Rama shoots off Ravana's crown when he arrives
• The battle lasts all day
• Lakshmana is wounded by Indrajit
• Hanuman goes and gets herbs to heal him
• Rama kills Kumbharkana
• Indra sends Rama his chariot and weapons
• Rama slays Ravana
• Vibhisana becomes king of Lanka
• Rama sends Sita into exile
• Sita comes back and takes her spot on the throne

Reading Notes: The Divine Archer, Part A

A Divine Archer. Source.

The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould. link to website.

• This story begins essentially where King Dasaratha wanted a son to pass on his heir
• There were four sons that were born: Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna
• Rama is the god Vishnu in human form
• Vishnu was sent to defeat Ravana.
• Ravana cannot be killed by gods so he needed to be in human form
• Sita and Rama fall in love
• Sita is also a goddess that is in human form
• Rama had to be able to bend the bow of Shiva with his hands to be able to claim Sita
• Parashurama appears and wants to know who bent the bow of Shiva
• Parashurama then gives Rama the bow of Vishnu (which is himself?)
• Rama has no trouble stringing Vishnu's bow
• Three of King Dasaratha's sons get married on the same day (not Rama)
• King Dasartha wanted Rama to become the next king
• Bharata ultimately is chosen to be the King once Dasartha dies
• King Dasaratha dies and Bharata becomes king
• Rama puts his sandals on the King's throne until his exile is over
• Agastya gives Rama weapons that will help him in later battles
• Ravana has 10 heads and 20 arms
• Maricha appears as a golden deer to lure Rama and Sita
• Sita wants Rama to catch the deer
• Jatayu battles Ravana
• Ravana cuts off Jatayu's wings
• Sugriva wants to help Rama
• Sugriva is the leader of the monkeys (Vanaras)

Week 3 Storytelling: The Meeting

The Meeting

Rama after defeating Ravana. Source

Rama defeated Ravana at the Battle of Lanka. This was a celebratory moment for everyone, even the gods that sent him. While Rama and his army were returning to the kingdom, there was a strange feeling in the air. The air started to feel heavy and the sky turned dark. The storm appeared to be a hurricane in the sky. Rama and Hanuman felt a strong wing all of a sudden. However, this was not a wind but actually a gravitational pull coming from the storm in the sky. The gravitational pull picked Rama and Hanuman off the ground and into the eye of the storm. The storm opened into a portal and the two disappeared into the dreary night sky.

A storm appears that transforms into a portal. Source

Time and space warped around them and when they landed back on the ground, they noticed that it was a completely different setting. The two had traveled through space and to a modern-day metropolitan area. There was a crowd of people around them dressed in suits and carrying briefcases. The hero of the city, Wonder Woman, approached them to question who they are and what they are doing. Rama and Hanuman were not sure what they were doing there because everything happened so sudden. Due to their hesitation and farfetched story, Wonder Woman believed that the two were lying and were actually there to cause trouble. She placed the two in a cell in the county jailhouse. 

A few hours passed by before people from Rama’s era started falling from the sky as well. However, these people falling from the sky were enemies of Rama and instantly started causing terror in the metropolis. This was an extension of Ravana’s army but strangely, it was led by Sita. Due to Ravana’s death, there was a curse put on Sita that finally turned her against Rama, which is what Ravana was constantly trying to do. The curse was placed on Rama by Mandodari, Ravana's widow, to ensure despair on Rama since she now lost her loved one. Wonder Woman knew that somehow this army was related to the two people that she threw in the county jail hours ago. She went to Rama and asked who these people were and what they wanted. He convinced her that he was on the good side and needed her help to get rid of them.

Rama meeting Wonder Woman. Source

Rama was telling Wonder Woman how the leader of the people attacking was his wife but it appeared that she was under some type of curse to seek and kill him. Wonder Woman, Rama, and Hanuman went back to Wonder Woman’s office to get supplies. One of the weapons that Wonder Woman gave to Rama was the Bow of Vayu, which Rama believed was just some type of fancy bow. When they returned outside, it was the three of them versus the army in front of them. Wonder Woman was able to use her trusty lasso for attacking multiple targets, while using her gauntlets and shield to protect from sword and archer attacks. Hanuman was a master with hand-to-hand combat and able to take on a crowd of enemies at once. Rama and Sita were left alone to a one versus one battle. Rama was hesitant at first because this was the love of his life. However, due to the curse, Sita had no remembrance of their love. She used her strength and threw him into a nearby building within the blink of an eye. This is when Rama was trying to verbally reason with her and she once again pummeled him with her outstanding strength. Rama finally gave in and started to fight back. He noticed that anything that he tried would have zero effect on Sita. The curse was somehow making her invincible. Rama pulled out the Bow of Vayu but when he went to reach for an arrow, there were none left in his quiver. Sita forced Rama into the ground. He realized at this moment that the Sita he loved was no longer there and that he must destroy this being. Sita pulled her fist back and was about to swing it into Rama, which most likely would have killed him, when suddenly Wonder Woman lassoed Sita’s feet and swung her on the floor. Due to the emptiness that Rama felt, a glowing arrow appeared in the quiver. The Bow of Vayu was the exact opposite of Cupid’s bow. The fact that he knew that he could not love Sita anymore made the arrow appear. He loaded the arrow in the Bow of Vayu and fired it at Sita. It hit her right in the stomach and she instantly turned into dust. The battle was now over but it left the entire city devastated.     

Rama deals the final blow, saving earth with Wonder Woman and Hanuman. Source

Author's Note:

When I was doing research on Rama, I found a page where DC Comics used Hindu gods in some of their comic issues. The source had a few comic scenes from the issues so I took those and wrote a story around them. Because Ravana was always trying to convince Sita to get rid of Rama in the Ramayana, I wanted to incorporate where after Ravana died, it caused Sita to turn against Rama. Who knows, maybe Rama and Wonder Woman will fall in love! I like adding the twist that Rama and Sita aren’t together because throughout the epic, it seems that they are destined to be together.

I really like this style of writing or reading something like this in stories because it is a mix between two cultures. The story, Ramayana, is an old, traditional epic from India. Wonder woman is a character from the 20^th century in America and the style between the two is different yet related. Both of them seem to have some sort of relation with supernatural elements. I feel like DC comics had the similar thought when they first started to introduce the Hindu gods into their comics. They produced with stories with multiple Hindu gods with one of the other well-known ones being Kali.

Public Domain Ramayana, link to the reading online.
Pikapost. link to the website.