Storytelling Week 10- Draupadi's Thoughts

How can this be? Where are my husbands? They said that they would always protect me. If only we had lived out the final year in the woods this would have never happened. They were warned that if they didn’t keep a close eye on me there would be others that would lust after me.

How could Yudhishthira just ignore me when I came to speak with him. I told him what Kickaka was trying. They all ignored me, except for Bhisma. He told me that he would protect me no matter the cost. Bhisma confronted Kickaka. Once I heard that Kickaka had died, I knew that it was because of Bhima. I wish that Bhima hadn’t killed him. If he hadn’t killed him I wouldn’t be on my way to be burned alive.

Everyone seems to be gathered around the prye. They are lined down the street waiting for me to be burned alive. Why are all these people here to watch me die? What did I ever do to them to make them hate me so much that they want to see me burned alive? If only Yudhishthira hadn’t gambled away our freedom, I wouldn’t be in this mess. How could he just gamble us away like we were nothing. After all this time I had hoped that being in the wilderness would make him more helpful. After I found out that the people wanted to kill me, I approached Yudhishthira about helping me, and all he did was say he would try to help me. Again I approached my other husbands and they all said the same thing as Yudhishthira. Thankful the gods allowed me to marry a real man. Bhima was the only one of my husbands that said he would protect me.

Where could Bhima be? I am almost to the prye. If he doesn’t hurry I will be burned to death. All of the people want me to die. I can see it in their eyes. They believe me to be some demon. They are afraid that I will bring about the destruction of their kingdom. Wait what was that movement up ahead? I swore there was someone in hiding in the shadows. Why is there a cart across the road? There he is! It is Bhima! He has come to save me! He takes out my escort like they are nothing but twigs. Thank the gods that I have a true husband like Bhisma.

Author’s Note- I decided to write about Draupadi being dragged to Kickaka funeral prye. I thought this was a great topic to write about because the book doesn’t go into much detail about this situation. So this allowed me to expand the thoughts of Draupadi in whatever way I wanted.

Draupadi. Source

Storytelling Week 9- Bhishma's Upbringing

“Gather around children and listen to the story of my upbringing. You may only think of me as your uncle Bhishma, but what you may not know is that I am the son of the Goddess Ganga.  My mother took on human form, and my father fell madly in love with her. I was the eighth child. My mother drowned the other seven. My father finally stopped my mother from drowning. My mother finally revealed to my father who she was. She then took me away to be trained from Vasishtha.”

“Growing up I never knew who my father was. I always wondered if he ever thought about me. Having Vasishtha as a mentor was an interesting experience. He taught me many different things. He taught me how to speak to another royalty, how to pray to the gods, how to go into a deep meditation, how to perform a purification ritual. But the thing I excelled in the most was fighting and weaponry. From an early age I seemed to excel at the bow. Vasishtha was a very impressed at my skill. Vasishtha had me shot with a blindfold over my eyes. He would take the target as far as the eye could see and make me shoot it. Finally Vasishtha had nothing left to teach me so we traveled to the different lands of the gods.”

“First we went to see Indra. The kingdom of Indra was like nothing I had ever seen in my entire life. Imagine the finest kingdom you have ever seen. This would look like dirty compared to Indra’s kingdom. Everything was made from the finest jewels. The streets seemed to glow like the sun. I came to Indra to learn mantras that would help me when I made my return back to my father. Indra taught me how to burn an object by just looking at it. He warned me that this mantra was a great responsibility. If I used this against an inferior opponent, the mantra would backfire, and burn me alive. After staying with Indra for a little while longer, we continued our travels.”

“We traveled to countless kingdoms so that I could learn different mantras from the gods. After many years of traveling I was finally able to complete my studies. I had finally become the man that could help lead this world into a better future. I was finally able to go to my father, and I have been here ever since.”

Author’s Note- I chose to write about the time that Bhishma spent away from his father growing up. I decided that I wanted this to be a story that Bhishma is telling all of his nephews when they were younger. Also I decided that I wanted Bhishma to travel to the different kingdom of the gods so that he could learn different mantras that he could eventually teach to his nephews.

Bibliography-Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata.

Bhishma with his family. Source

Storytelling for Week 7- The Statue of Sita

I have seen many things in my life. I have been to many kingdoms and been to many distant lands. I have been in secret meetings, war plans, and been the confidant to many kings. I have seen many people come and go. I am the Statute of Sita and this is my story.

Many moons ago I once stood proudly next to Rama, the greatest king to ever live. I followed him everywhere. I was his ever constant companion. I never left his side. After losing his wife I stayed with him until his passing. After Rama had passed on, the ruler displayed me next to his throne so that everyone might remember Rama. Sadly though more and more people began to forget who Rama was.

I became a statue that no one knew or appreciated. I was left there in the dark until the raiders came. These people had defeated the current ruler and his armies. I was about to be destroyed when the leader came in and saw me. He said I was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. He took me away from the palace and placed me in his own. I was put on display for all his subjects to see. People came from miles around to see me. People left offerings at my feet hoping that I would communicate to their gods about their problems. It was strange being so far away from Rama’s palace. I missed all the familiar sights, but this new palace was beautiful in it’s own way. There were fountains everywhere, gardens, and trees as far as I could see. The king would come in at all hours of the day and talk with me. He told me of his fears, his dreams, and his desires. He wanted to unite the region under his rule. Sadly his dream did not come to reality. He was assassinated before he could make it happen.

After his death began the process of changing hands of many different kings. I have been around the world more times than I can count. I have had people admire me, and I have had people hate me. I am now in the British History Museum, where I am finally happy. I am around the images of Rama and his great adventures. I am admired daily by hundreds of people who come to visit. I am the Statue of Sita and this is my story.

Author’s Note- I decided to follow the story prompt this week and write about the Statue of Sita. I thought this would be a great story to tell. I can just imagine the things that statue would have seen changing hands of all those kings. Since the book doesn’t give any information about what happened to the statue I decided I would make up my own history for it.

Bibliography- Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Rama and Sita. Source

Storytelling for Week 6: Hanuman the cat

Being in cat form was quite an experience. Objects that were once small when I was human size now seem suddenly massive. As I passed a by the wall to the city, I was shocked to see how massive it was. It seemed to stretch from all the way to the heavens.

As I continued to wander around the city I began to smell things that I didn’t think were possible. The first thing I noticed was the smell of demons. I had began to smell this distinct odor long before I made it into the city, but I had no clue as to what the smell could be. I finally discovered that it was a demon when I rounded the corner of a house and there was a demon standing at a door. The smell almost made me throw up hairballs. The best smell I could find in the city was the smell of mice. Since I became a cat there were certain parts of my mind that thought like a cat. It was a small part, but once I smelled the mice that part of my mind became dominant. I struggled to rein this part of my mind back under my control. I was able to do it, but the cat part of my mind fought quite hard. This is the downside to morphing into other animals. When I morph a part of that animal’s mind is there the whole time I am that animal. If that animal mind is able to take dominance for too long, I will become that animal forever.

The best part about this whole experience of being a cat was the sense of wonder I felt when I was in Lanka. Even though Lanka is infested with demons, it is still a gorgeous city. I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful city if I tried. The house are all made out of a glorious stone that reflects the sun’s brilliant light. The gardens are filled with the most beautiful flowers you have ever seen! At night when all the lights are on in the houses it seems as though the moon and stars are revolving around Lanka. In all my years on this earth I have never seen a more beautiful city then this one.

I wonder if I was in original form would I still think that all of these things? I would hope so, but maybe sometimes you need a different perspective to appreciate the beauty around you.

The beautiful city of Lanka. Source

Author’s Note- I decided I wanted to tell what Hanuman saw when he was a cat. Since the architect of heaven designed the city original I thought that the city had to be amazing. I thought since Hanuman didn’t have to worry too much about the demons trying to kill him, he could appreciate the beauty of the city.

Biblography-Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Storytelling Week 5- Bharata and Shatrughna

“Brother, we need to make it obvious to the people that I am just a interim ruler. That I have no desire whatsoever to take the throne from Rama. I know that people who weren’t present will think that I will try and steal the throne. I will do all in my power to make sure the people know that I am but a servant of Rama till he has fulfilled our father’s command,” said Bharata.

“You are correct Bharata. There will be people who believe you want the power of the crown. All you can do is be the kind of man that Rama knows you to be. There will be many struggles in the time before Rama can return. We will meet these challenges head on. We will make Rama proud. No one will question our devotion to seeing Rama on the throne, where he should be. We shall place his shoes on the throne as soon as we arrive home. They will stay on the throne until Rama removes them himself. We will also bow to the throne as if Rama was there when we enter,” said Shatrughna.

“Yes, we will make the unbelievers see that we are servants of Rama. We need to also make sure that everyone in the kingdom knows that just because Rama isn’t here, our kingdom is still not to be taken lightly. We will defeat any threats. We must be prepared for any outside threats. I worry that other kingdoms will seek to undermine our authority, and they will try to conquer us. I hope that the kingdom will be strong enough to endure these challenges,” said Bharata.

“Brother, you worry too much. We will be fine. You don’t have faith in our people. Yes there will be some that think you want power, but that is a very insignificant portion. Everyone else knows that you are here to serve Rama. All the outsiders that think we are weaker because we have a interim ruler are in for a sad realization. We will crush any opposition that comes against us,” said Shatrughna.

“You are right brother. We will cross those bridges when the time comes. There is one thing that we must do above all else, we must have the kingdom in better shape from when Rama left. This shall be our number one priority,” said Bharata.

Author’s Note- I decided to make up a dialogue that Bharata and Shatrughna may have had when they were coming back home from visiting Rama in his banishment. I thought it was important to show that Bharata wanted nothing more than to try and honor Rama. I think that Bharata wants to make Rama proud.

Bibliography- Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

Family Photo. Source

Storytelling Week 4- Valmiki, the Birds, and the Hunter

“Listen hear lads and I will tell you the story of how I became cursed. This is quite a long tale so grab a pint of ale and listen well.”

“It all began a morning much like today. It was dark and gloomy day. This weather mean that I would find plenty of birds in their nests. As I was preparing to leave, I picked up my new bow and as luck would have it, the bow broke. Now I should’ve taken this as a sign from the lords above that I shouldn’t go out today, but I knew there would be no better time to find fresh food so I continued on.”

“Upon leaving the house I found that a tree had fallen into the shed where I kept my firewood. I cursed and scoffed, but I continued on for there was birds to be killed. As I continued on my path I came upon a beggar. He was old, frail, and not well washed. As I passed by he asked if I could spare him some food. I replied that I have no time for dirt like you. I must find my prey and slay it. If you want food so bad go work for it! As I left the old beggar, I heard him mutter under his breath that by the end of today I will wish I had been kinder. This was but another reason why I shouldn’t have gone after the birds.”

Valmiki and the Hunter. Source

“As I rounded the final bend, I heard it. The sweet song of my prey. I strung my old and weathered bow and took aim at my target. Right as the bird hit the high note, I let fly my arrow. No truer has my aim been then on that shot. Straight through the heart is where my arrow land. As I approach my kill, I hear a voice crying. When I reach my prize I see that it is a old hermit. The hermit locks eyes on me, and begins to get angry. I can see his face turning bright red with rage. He shouted at me saying that I was cursed to wander for all eternity because I killed a bird in love. Then he started chasing me with his staff, and I decided it was best to run then to try and reason with him.”

“As I made my way back to my house, I laughed that the old hermit had tried to curse me. He was just a old and crazy hermit. He had no real power that I should be afraid of. When I tried to lay down to sleep that night, I began to get a pounding headache. It only lasted as long as I tried to rest. The words of the old man came suddenly to my head. I was doomed to wander for all eternity. I finally realized that the old man really had cursed me.”

Author’s Note- I decided to tell the story of Valmiki, the Birds, and the Hunter, pg 7. Instead of telling the story from Valmiki point of view I decided to tell the story from the hunter’s view. The hunter really just appeared and left in a matter of a few pages so I thought it would be fun to write from his point of view. I also add the backstory of the hunter since we really weren’t given any information about him. I also thought it would be fun to have the setting be in a tavern. I thought the hunter would love to tell his story to other hunters to impress them. Also since he is forced to wander with no rest, I thought that he would just be a traveling barb. He would go from tavern to tavern telling his story. I added in all the bad omens because I wanted it to show that the hunter was bound and determine to get that bird even though everything in the world was telling him he shouldn’t go hunting today. It was fun to write this story because I am a hunter and there have definitely been times that it seemed like I wasn’t meant to go hunting, but I went because I have a real passion for it, and I think the hunter in the story had a real passion for hunting also.

Bibliography

Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way. 

Storytelling Week 3- From Vali's point of view

“ I have done it! I have slain the mighty demon,” said Vali. “ I am the mightiest being in all the land! Nothing can stand in my way! I can finally return home! I have missed my family very much. It will be good to see my brother’s face again.” Vali traveled day and night until he finally reached the entrance to where he had chased the great demon, Mayavi, underground. To Vali surprise the entranced had been blocked! Vali yelled, “ how could my own brother betray me!? I have never wronged him in anyway! I shall annihilate him from this very existence!” Vali burst through the entrance with the anger of a raging bull. Nothing could stop him from having his revenge on his brother.

Vali arrived back at his city in no time. He burst through the doors of his palace and yelled, “brother come fight me for my throne! If you think that a punny rock could stop me from returning you are sadly mistaken!” Vali brother, Sugreeva, arrived in the throne room ecstatic to see his long lost brother. Vali saw his brother and proceed to grab him and throw him around the room. He had no problem overpowering Sugreeva. Nothing Sugreeva said made a difference to Vali. Vali was in a bloodlust rage, and the only thing that would satisfy it was killing his brother. “How could you Sugreeva? I trusted you! You tried to deny me returning to my throne, now I will end your life,” said Vali. Sugreeva was able to slip out of Vali’s grasp just at the last second, and Sugreeva began to run.

Vali raced after Sugreeva shouting, “no matter where you go brother I will find you! I will chase you to the end of time if that is what it takes for me to get my revenge! You shall have no peace in this life as long as I am alive.” Sugreeva knew of one place that he would be safe. It was upon Mt. Matanga that Sugreeva was able to find escape his brother. Vali knew better than to come upon this mountain for it would spell certain doom for him. “You will come down from that mountain one day brother, and upon that day I will kill you for your treachery!”

Author’s Note-I can really relate this part of the story in The Ramayana about Vali and his brother Sugreeva. I think the reason I relate to it is because I have a brother and there has been a few times that we have gotten into an argument from a misunderstanding. I think all siblings at some point have had this happen to them. I think that it is a common topic in many literatures for siblings to fight.  I decided to tell this story from Vali view. I thought that it would be interesting to see how it felt to be on the other side. Since it is just assumed that Vali is such a bad person I wanted to write so that he had a voice since in the story we don’t hear his side. I had a tough time making this story flow really well because I wasn’t sure on how I wanted Vali to be perceived. He is a very easy person to not like because of what Sugreeva told in the stories. I kept up with the story in the fact that Sugreeva was never able to tell Vali what had really happened, but Vali jumped to conclusion without allowing Sugreeva the opportunity to explain himself.

Mighty Vali. Source

Bibliography

Story retold on pgs. 92-94.

Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic.

A traditional rendering of Vali from Wikipedia

Storytelling Week 1- The Championship

On the eve of the championship baseball game, our player was practicing by himself. Many of his friends had come to give him advice during the week on what he needed to do to be prepared for the game at the end of the week. The player had many friends from other schools who came to give him advice on what to do. Many of his friends said to take 100 extra swings before the game. Others would say he needed to take so many ground balls for practice.  Some told him to get plenty hours of sleep. Others said he needed to eat healthy so he would be well fed for the game. Our player took all these things into consideration. He wanted to be the best player for his team so that they would have a great chance to win the championship game.

He took over 100 extra swings. He took extra ground balls. He made sure he ate well, and that he got plenty of sleep. The player listened to all the advice he had been given except for one person’s advice. The person’s advice he didn’t listen to was the advice of a player from a rival high school. The player from the rival high school had told him that he didn’t need to take any extra swings. He didn’t need to take any extra ground balls. He didn’t need to get any extra hours of sleep. Also he didn’t need to eat well. He told our player that he was already so good that he didn’t need to do anything. The rival wanted to sabotage our player because our player and his team had beat the rival’s team out of the game before. Our player knew that he didn’t need to listen to his rival. His rival was trying to hurt him and his team. Our player decided he wasn’t going to listen to his rival, he was going to listen to his friends and family who all wanted him and his team to succeed. The moral of this story is that you need to be wary of the advice of some people because their motives may not always be pure.

Author’s Note: For this story I change the setting and the characters quite a bit. In the original fable, the Greek god Zeus is getting married. All the animals bring gifts. A snake brings a gift in his mouth. Zeus said he wouldn’t accept his gift because he didn’t trust the snake. The moral of the original fable is favors of wicked people are frightening. I made the setting a modern scene of taking place on Olympus. Instead of a wedding of the gods, I made my story about a championship baseball game. Also I changed the characters from Zeus and animals to real people.


Bibliography: Aesop's Fables. A new translation by Laura Gibbs. Oxford University Press (World's Classics): Oxford, 2002. Link to the story.

Field of Dreams.