Week 13 Reading Diary: The Jataka Tales

The Spirit that Lived in a Tree:

• Buddha was re-born as a Tree-Spirit.
• The tree offered its life to protect its children, so the king chose to spare its life.
• The theme of this story was self-sacrifice.

The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die:

• Now Buddha was born as a hare.
• During the fasting day, the hare offered his own flesh to any beggar that came by because he thought the grass that he normally ate would be inadequate.
• When Sakka, King of the Gods, challenged the hare to see if he was true to his word, the hare willingly jumped into the fire.
• Sakka was so impressed that he wished that the hare’s virtue would be known for all the ages to come.
• This was another story about self-sacrifice.

 

The Parrot that Fed His Parents:

• Buddha was born as a parrot.
• As his parents grew old and lost their strength, he took over their responsibilities within the flock and cared for them.
• After he is captured, the parrot explains his intentions to the watchman and is rewarded with one thousand acres of land for his righteousness.
• I really liked this story!

 

The Man Who Worked to Give Alms:

• Buddha was born as a merchant named Vissaya.

• Every day, the merchant would give alms to the less fortunate. Sakka noticed his charity and feared that the merchant was seeking to replace him as king of the gods.

• When Sakka took all of his wealth, the merchant nearly worked himself to death to continue giving alms.

• Sakka was so moved by his charity that he returned his wealth so that the merchant could continue giving alms.

• I also really enjoyed this story!

The King Who Saw the Truth:

• Buddha was born a king.
• When the king gave his eyes to the Brahmin, his sight was restored to him and he could see absolute truth.
• I didn’t enjoy this story as much as the previous two.

 

The Bull that Proved His Gratitude:

• Bodisat was born as a bull.
• The bull put himself to work to earn money for the old woman that took care of him, and in return she took great care of him.
• At the end of her life, the two died together.
• I also wasn’t crazy about this story.

The Horse that Held Out till the End:

• Buddha was born as a horse.
• During a war, the horse saved many kings’ lives, but then he died from a wound that he received in one of the battles.
• This story would have been better if the horse had not died, but then Buddha wouldn’t have been able to go on to his next life.

The Monkey that Saved the Hero:

• Buddha was re-born as the king of the monkeys.
• Why would the ogre expect them to drink from the lake when he just openly admitted that he would take them prisoner and eat them if they did?!
• This story had a neat conclusion that tried to explain why canes that grow around lakes are hollow within.
• I really enjoyed this story.

The Merchant Who Overcame All Obstacles:

• Buddha was born into the family of a merchant.
• This story had a happy ending, but I wasn’t a very big fan.
• I’m glad that the lad did not give up on the well and that everything worked out for them.

 

The Elephant that Was Honored in Old Age:

• Buddha was Prime Minister.
• Buddha stood up for an elderly elephant that had worked very hard for the king and rebuked him for not rewarding her for her service.
• This was a pretty good story, but it was really short.

Grandmother’s Golden Dish:

• Bodisat was a dealer of tin and brassware named Seriva.
• When a hawker tried to cheat an elderly woman and her granddaughter out of their only possession of worth, the Bodisat came along and told them of its true value. He gave them everything that he owned in exchange for it, and left to go try to sell it.
• I wasn’t too sure what the moral of this story was though because nothing really happened to the deceitful hawker and the grandmother wasn’t really rewarded for all of her generosity.

The Elephant that Spared Life:

• Bodisat was born as a nobleman’s son.
• The king ordered that the Bodisat and his followers should be trampled by elephants.
• However, when he saw the Bodisat’s good nature, he chose to spare their lives.
• The man who slandered him became their slave, and the elephant that was to trample them was given as a gift.

How the Antelope Was Caught:

• There was an antelope that frequented Sanjaya’s garden.
• Sanjaya led the antelope into the palace with a trail of honey.
• The moral of this story was not to be greedy, but it didn’t really seem that fitting since the antelope was just enjoying the honey.
• This story wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t one of my favorites.

The Pupil Who Taught His Teacher:

• Buddha was born into a Brahmin family, and he was known as Law Keeper.
• Young members of Brahmin families do not die young because they conduct themselves so righteously.

 

The Man Who Told a Lie:

• Four divine beings made an appearance on earth at a festival of the gods.
• The false priest was given a wreath of flowers that brought him pain and agony.
• When the gods publicly rebuked him for his dishonesty, they removed the wreath.
• This was another story that I wasn’t crazy about.

 

The Crow that Thought It Knew:

• Bodhisatta was a marsh crow named Viraka, the Strong.
• Savitthaka did not head Viraka’s warning and drowned.
• Viraka had to break the news to Savitthaka’s mate.

 

The River Fish and the Monkey:

• Bodhisatta was born into the family of a landed proprietor.
• When their father passed, his younger brother tried to trick him into losing his share of the inheritance.
• Despite his brother’s treachery, the Bodhisatta still gave him his share.

 

The Dreamer in the Wood:

• Buddha lived alone in the woods.
• When Buddha was granted a boon, he used it selflessly to protect the forest and was granted another boon.
• For his next boon, Buddha wished that nothing would ever be harmed by him.
• Since Buddha requested nothing of food, Sakka granted that the trees would bear fruit perennially as well.

The Rice Measure:

• Bodisat was the king’s valuer.
• Dissatisfied with Bodisat’s honest valuations, the king hired a fool in his place.
• The fools valuation was very inconsistent and ended up making the king look foolish.
• Bodisat was reinstated as the valuer.

The Poisonous Trees:

• The Bodhisatta was born as a merchant.
• Poems are becoming increasingly more important in these tales.
• The Bodhisatta was wise and saved his people from eating poisonous fruit.

The Well-Trained Elephant:

• Bodhisatta was born as a white elephant.
• The elephant proved to be the best-trained elephant and was highly rewarded.
• This story seemed much longer than the others, not sure why because the word count was about the same.

The Wise Physician:

• Buddha was the physician who offered to revive a woman’s dead son if she could bring back mustard seed from a family who has not suffered from lost.
• The woman learned that everybody has suffered the loss of a loved one, which was the overall morale of the quest the Buddha assigned.
• The story would have been better if the son did not have to die.

 

 You can find the original stories at this link:

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/05/story-source-eastern-stories-and.html

 

 

Week 12 Reading Diary: Twenty-Two Goblins

I chose this reading unit because the description mentioned that it would contain riddles, which I think are really fun. In fact, a couple weeks ago I wrote a story that included some riddles from the Mahabharata and I really enjoyed it. Hopefully I’ll have the chance to write a similar story this week. We’ll see!

Introduction:

·       King Triple-victory = Son of King Victory. Lives in the Abiding Kingdom on the Godavari River.

·       The monk, Patience, brought the king fruits that contained priceless gems.

·       In return, the monk asks the king to fetch him a body that is hanging in a tree.

·       A goblin lived in the body and offers to tell a story as the king carries it to the monk.

The Three Lovers:

·       Each of these stories is some kind of puzzle that the king must answer. Unfortunately, if he answers correctly, the goblin returns to the tree and the king must restart the journey back to the monk. One might logically think that the king should just not respond, but there is a stipulation that if he knows the answers and does not offer it, then his head will explode. So, the king has found himself in quite an interesting situation. The only way that he can fulfill his agreement with the monk is if he’s beaten at the game of riddles.

·       The king analyzed the situation of the first riddle and identified that the woman’s husband must have been the man that slept with her ashes each night.

·       The goblin returned to the tree and the king quickly followed because he is committed to upholding his promise to the monk.

Brave, Wise, Clever:

·       This story refers to Rama and Ravana! How cool is that?!

·       The king concluded that the daughter should be given to the brave man because the wise man and the clever man were simply helpers, while he actually put his life on the line to slay the giant.

·       Again the goblin returned to the tree and the king followed.

The Girl, Her Husband and Her Brother:

·       King Glory-banner was the leader of the city, Beautiful. Interesting names…

·       Also, the husbands name was Spotless…

·       Again, the king answered the riddle correctly and the goblin returned to the tree.

·       This may have been my least favorite puzzle in the reading unit.

Food, Women, Cotton:

·       In this riddle, the specialist of cotton was declared to be the cleverest.

·       Once again, the king was correct.

·       He has to be getting tired by now!

The Four Suitors:

·       Lotus City à Pleasure City à Golden City à Ujjain. (progression of name)

·       The king’s name was Heroic.

·       The warrior’s daughter was given to the warrior Swordsman and the goblin returned to the tree yet again.

The Three Delicate Wives:

·       The wife who was bruised without being touched was determined to be the most delicate.

·       The king must be hoping for a riddle that will actually stump him by now!!

The Snake’s Poison:

·       This was the most interesting story so far. I really liked how the king explained his reasoning that ultimately left the dead man to blame for his death.

·       I honestly had no idea how he could have gone about answering the riddle because the death seemed to be the result of a complete accident that was beyond anybody’s control.

·       Unfortunately for the king, he did manage to offer the correct answer, so the goblin returned to the tree once again.

The Girl and the Thief:

·       This story is set in Ayodhya (a place that we are quite familiar with!).

·       I also really enjoyed this story.

·       The thief both laughed and cried at the sight of the young girl wishing to give up her life with him.

·       I’m sure that the thief will make an excellent general.

·       The king is very dedicated to fulfilling his promise to the monk. He follows the goblin back to the tree once again without any complaints.

The General’s Wife:

·       From the little description at the start of the story, I would imagine that the king who died for love of his general’s wife is more worthy of her than the general, who followed the king to death. It would appear that the king was more committed to the wife than the general if he was willing to leave her behind in order to follow the king in death.

·       Though the reasoning was not identical to mind, I did predict which character was more deserving, so that’s cool!

·       And the goblin ran back to the tree again… At some point, the goblin has to get tired and offer the most challenging riddle that he can think of, right?

The Four Brothers:

·       I thought that it was funny that the king openly admitted that he was willing to keep chasing the goblin back to the tree as long as he wished to escape.

·       The one that gave life to the lion was at fault for the lives that it took. This was a pretty easy riddle.

The Old Hermit:

·       The hermit gave up his own body and took over that of a dead boy.

·       The hermit wept for the loss of his previous body, with which he had associated so many memories but danced to celebrate his newly acquired youth.

·       Yet again, the king must follow the goblin back to the tree.

Father and Son, Daughter and Mother:

·       Finally, the riddle that stumps the king!

·       What a strange concept to have to explain. If the father married the daughter, then the son married the mother, it would definitely be difficult to explain how everybody was related once they all started having children. This situation would yield a very unusual-looking family tree.

·       Once the king is stumped, the goblin reveals a terrible secret that the monk is actually planning to kill the king in a ritual.

·       What is the king going to do?

Conclusion:

·       The king obeyed the goblin and the riddles became a kind of repellent for magical beings wherever they were told.

You can find the original stories by clicking on this link:

http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/06/myth-folklore-unit-twenty-two-goblins.html

Week 11: Reading Diary

This has been an especially busy week, so I only finished one of the reading assignments.. For this assignment, I read the Khasi Folktales.

The Tiger and the Monkeys:
This was quite an interesting story. I did not realize that tigers were afraid of monkeys, which appears to be the observation upon which this story is founded. I also thought that the overall moral was kind of strange. I could not imagine proposing marriage to an unknown bride. It kind of seems like a shallow thing to do because you would have to be acting on looks or social status alone.

The Legend of the Lei Tree:
It was kind of hard to give feedback about this story because it didn't really draw me in. I thought that it was cool that such a small bird played a huge roll in helping mankind avoid living in darkness forever.

Hunting the Stag Lapalang:
This was a really sad story particularly because it was about how a mother lost her child. It seems like a cliché phrase, but a parent should never have to bury a child.

The Goddesses Ka Ngot and Ka lam:
This is a cool story that describes how a river gained its form. It was cool to see how they indirectly incorporated the moral about being boastful.

U Biskurom:
This may be my favorite story in the collection, despite the pessimistic theme that it concludes with.. I really liked the characters and it was fun to laugh at the ignorance of mankind, assuming that the blood was from the power of their shouts.

How the Dog Came to Live with Man:
I wasn't a huge fan of this story. It was really long and I actually like dogs, so I wasn't crazy about how they were made out to be deceitful creatures.

The Stag and the Snail:
This story reminded me of a version of the tortoise and the hare that I once heard, but with a very umm... Unique? twist about why stags don't have gall bladders.

Overall these stories were pretty fun to read.

Read the original stories here!

Week 10: Reading Diary B

Action:

• Yudhistira is struck by his conscience and starts to think of ways to make peace with his kinsmen.

• Yudhistira is right to worry about Krishna’s safety if he goes to speak with Duryodhana. I really don’t understand how everybody seems to overlook how malicious he is, as if appealing to his reason might someday persuade him to make a logical decision. Duryodhana reminds me of Ravana. Surely he acknowledges hos reckless his actions are, but he won’t accept a peaceful conclusion.

• Vidura seems like a pretty rational character, too bad his advice has no influence on Dhritarashtra.

• Another thing that I don’t understand is how Duryodhana can expect a war against his cousins to end well for him. The Pandavas have proven time and time again that they are much better warriors and far more rational people, yet Duryodhana thinks that he can beat them in battle.

 

Hesitant Hero:

• So before the battle began, Yudhistira took off his armor and walked across the battle field to bow to Drona and touch the feet of Bhishma before returning to his side. The Kauravas thought that Yudhistira was coming to beg for mercy, but it seems that he did this as a sign of respect for his kinsmen and the other elders before they are slain in battle. I don’t know how this act ultimately made Yudhistira’s opponents feel, but it probably did not provide any boost to their morale.

• Arjuna does not wish to fight the members of Duryodhana’s army.

• The battle is said to last 18 days.

 

Delirium of Destruction:

• Arjuna basically uses a woman named Sikandi as a shield so that he can get close enough to kill Bhishma, who was taking quite a toll on the Pandavas’ army. When Bhishma realizes that Arjuna is hiding behind the woman, he attempts to throw a javelin at Arjuna but the spear is parried and Arjuna sticks several arrows in him. Both sides stop fighting when Bhishma falls.

• Apparently Duryodhana gets the bright idea that the solution to the war is capturing Yudhistira and challenging him to another round of dice so that he can be exiled for another 12 years. Not sure how that’s supposed to work… “Stop the war so we can play dice! Oh, looks like you lost at dice so now you’re exiled and the war cannot continue.” Doesn’t seem like a logical course of events…

• Is Aswathama truly invincible? We are first told that he cannot be vanquished, then they decide that they can still fool Drona into thinking that they killed his son. If this is the case, shouldn’t Drona be aware of his son’s invincibility, thus rendering him immune to their trickery? Regardless, the idea worked and Drona’s head was cut off.

• Even when Duryodhana’s entire army is falling, he refuses to pursue a peaceful conclusion.

• Bhima finally brought down Duryodhana, maybe everybody will go back to living in peace now!

 

Victory and Sorrow:

• Dhritarashtra is so furious that Bhima killed his son that he crushes an iron statue that resembles Bhima. Dhritarashtra does not appear to realize that it is only a statue but crushing it was enough to exhaust his rage, so that’s good.

• After a seemingly hopeless argument in which Yudhistira kept insisting on becoming a recluse, everybody finally convinced Yudhistira to become king.

• After advising Yudhistira on his duties as king, Bhishma finally allowed himself to die and Yudhistira went on to rule for 36 years.

Week 10: Reading Diary A

Hundred Questions:

• Uh oh, Yudhistira embarked on a chase after an extraordinary deer… If we learned anything from the Ramayana, we know that we should never chase an extraordinary deer deep into a forest! I wonder if deer are the symbol for deception or thievery in Hindu mythology because that seems to be the case in these epics.
• One at a time, the brothers arrive at a magical pond that warns them not to drink from its water until they have answered its question. Despite the pile of dead brothers that seems to be building up, each consecutive brother proceeds to drink from the pond without hearing the question.
• Despite their stupidity, Yudhistira saves the day by playing the pond’s game of riddles and all of his brothers come back to life.
• I don’t quite understand why Draupadi must be exiled for having Bhima kill Kichaka. Sure he was the queen’s brother, but he was also a rapist. It’s not like they should have any reason to fear for their own lives.

Servitude:

• Duryodhana decides that he is going to attack Virata and rob him of his wealth. He also hopes to expose that Bhima killed Kichaka and extend the Pandavas’ exile.
• Virata is captured by Susurman, but Bhima uses a bow to save him. The bow is used because it is an unusual weapon for Bhima to wield, so there is no way that they could identify that it was Bhima who saved the king.
• Come on Uttara! Cowardice is not supposed to be a characteristic of a prince, especially during a time of war. He was scared to go into the graveyard and fetch the bag that contained the Pandava’s weapons because he thought that it might be a corpse hanging from the tree.
• After what seemed like a lost cause of trying to persuade prince Uttara to drive his chariot, Arjuna finally reveals his true identity as well as the power of his weapon to rid the prince of his cowardice. And finally the prince agrees to drive the chariot.
• Why doesn’t Yudhistira swallow his pride and let the king think that Uttara saved the day?! He’s definitely not very good at concealing his true identity!

Warning Shots:

• When Yudhistira revealed his true identity (as well as that of his brothers), the king felt so bad for the way that he had treated Yudhistira that he offered his entire kingdom to Yudhistira. The king went on to offer his daughter to Arjuna, who refused but said that he would love to have the princess as a daughter-in-law.
• The Pandavas’ exile concluded with the wedding of the princess and Arjuna’s son.
• How awkward of a position for Krishna to be in. Both Arjuna and Durydhana approach Krishna to request that he choose their side in the upcoming war.

War or Peace?

• The Pandavas obviously would like to avoid war at all costs, but they must not understand how malicious their cousin is if they think that he’s going to give them anything without a war.
• How can Dhritarashtra be so blind to what a terrible person his son is?!

Week 9: Reading Diary B

Uncle’s Gift:

• So Dhritarashtra divided his kingdom and gave a portion of it to his nephews. Although Yudhistira and his brothers appear to very grateful for the barren land that was given to them, I cannot imagine Dhritarashtra’s sons (particularly Duryodhana) letting their cousins live there peacefully.
• Who would’ve thought that five brothers sharing a single wife might end poorly?! At least Arjuna has his own wives now, unless he decides to share them as well at the end of his twelve year banishment.

City of Splendour:

• Of all the people that could have extended their stay in Indraprastha, Duryodhana stayed the longest. Why would the Pandavas let him stay in their city?! From the moment that I saw his name as one of the guests, I was waiting for him to try to burn the city down.
• Sakuni appears to be a very wise character, but no amount of wisdom will break through to Duryodhana. His obsession with his cousins will be the death of him.
• How many times must the Pandavas be wronged by their cousins before they decide to stop trusting them? Why would they agree to go gamble when they should be fully aware that Duryodhana is probably going to turn it into an attempt to take their lives and their city?

Stakes Unmatched:

• What kind of game is this?! Once Yudhistira began, was he committed to playing until he had lost everything that he ever owned? If so, why would you ever agree to play such a game? Also, how can he not suspect that Sakuni is cheating?! Every time that he rolls the dice, he wins. And how can Yudhistira bet his brothers?
• I really wish that the rules of this game were better explained. All that I know about it is that it involves dice and every time that Yudhistira places a bet, Sakuni immediately shouts “I win!” I can’t imagine continuously raising the stakes in a game that I have won a single round of, and I certainly wouldn’t continue playing until the only thing left to bet was myself.
• Draupadi made several great points in her argument.
• At least Dhritarashtra saw how wrong the game was and gave Yudhistira everything that he had lost.
• I retract my previous statement…

Wanderings:

• So Yudhistira and his brothers were banished since he decided to go back and play the dice game again, although it seemed like the king was kind of forcing him to return the second time.
• Yudhistira admitted that he sought to take the rest of the kingdom from his cousins, but who could really blame him? Maybe if he ruled the entire kingdom, he could keep his psychotic cousin under control.
• I’m still not sure how somebody can be an expert at rolling dice.

Week 9: Reading Diary A

The Eighth Baby:

·    Santanu = Ruler of Hastinapura 

·    What?! How are you gonna marry a woman that you just met and not ask why she drowned your first child? At this point, the last thing that Santanu should be worried about is this mystery woman leaving him for asking her why she drowned their child.

·    Oh, I guess that the fact that she’s a pretty good wife overwhelms the minor character flaw that she keeps drowning their children…

·    Devavratha = Son of Ganga and Santanu, condemned to live a life of celibacy but also brilliant accomplishments. He later becomes Bhishma.

·    Santanu is worried that if anything happens to Devavratha, their dynasty will come to an end. Has he already forgotten that his son has been condemned to a life of celibacy? Their dynasty will end with Devavratha regardless…

·    The little side note about Salwa’s vow to kill Bhishma seems like a fairly significant to the story. I’m not sure why it was only a side note. Perhaps Narayan does not intend on discussing Bhishma’s death.

·    Dhritarash = Eldest son of Vyasa and the servant maid; born blind.

·    Pandu = Second son of Vyasa and the servant maid; valorous and just. Cursed to die when he attempts to unite with his wife.

·    Vidura = Third son of Vyasa and the servant maid; apparently characterized by great wisdom, judgment, and courage.

·    Yudhistira = Son of Yama and Kunthi. His name means “one unflinching in war.”

·    Bhimasena = Son of Vayu and Kunthi; endowed with extraordinary strength. Caused an earthquake when he rolled off of his mother’s side.

·    Arjuna = Son of Indra and Kunthi; unmatched in energy, wisdom, and knowledge of weapons.

·    Nakula and Sahadeva = Brilliant twins born of Madri and the gods Aswins.

·    Together, these five brothers were known as the Pandavas.

·    Dhritarashtra has a hundred sons who were the enemies of the Pandavas. The fact that Dhritarashtra is referred to as the “Blind King” makes me think that he and his progeny are destined to be the antagonists of the Mahabharata.

Enter – The Players:

·    Dhritarashtra had his one hundred sons, as well as his 5 nephews trained to use a variety of weapons. The focus on the skills of Pandu’s sons further makes me believe that they will be the protagonists in this story. Also, the fact that Duryodhana tried to poison his cousin and threw him in the river also doesn’t make Dhritarashtra’s sons seem like heroes.

·    Duryodhana seems like a bloodthirsty character.

House of Joy – and Ashes:

·    Duryodhana is such a deceitful character. Why does he hate his cousins so much that he would take every opportunity to have them killed?

·    It’s good to know that my initial impressions about the two sides were correct!

Bride for Five:

·    Ghatotkacha = Bhima’s son who made a habit of coming to his father’s aid every time that he faced a crisis. We’re explicitly told that he’ll play an important role in a battle later in the story.

·    Krishna = the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, said to play a vital role in the Mahabharata.

·    I can’t be the only one that thinks it’s incredibly weird that five brothers are planning to share one wife. Definitely the weirdest part of the story so far…

Since this was the first reading diary post for the Mahabharata, I wasn’t quite sure who was going to have a significant role throughout the rest of the story. I went ahead and made a little note about each character that seemed likely to make an appearance later on. The Mahabharata seems like a pretty interesting, albeit strange story so far.