Epics of India

Author's Note: This story is a recreation of a famous Jakata, called The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart , from Eastern Stories and Legends by M. L. Shedlock, which tells of an attempt to deceit the monkey by the crocodile to take his heart and eat it, but of course, the monkey outwits him and escapes the wrath of the crocodile. In this recreation, I told it specifically in the Monkey's point of view, including his initial thoughts as when the Crocodile offered him the proposal of better fruits on the other side of the Ganges River. To make it more relatable, I told it in a more contemporary tone with modern and simple syntax, much like two ordinary people having conversation with one another in modern times! As many of you may, I was a Bodhisatta in a past life, and with this life, I have reincarnated in a form of a monkey. I lived my day to day life as a monkey, making the most of my day. I had the proper education and grew up big and strong, just as my father wanted m...

Bhisma Falls; Indian Myth and Legend by D. A. Mackenzie In the descriptions of the war, there were passages where there was no inclusion of dialogue, but just about how there was general happenings inside the war. As a reader, we know how war is not all entirely standstill, but it's moments like these that allows a rest before the storm. There was also inclusion of the aspect of "fate" derived from the death of Bhisma, which cna be told from a wise man or someone that can foresee the future. This adds on to the mystery of the story and allows the reader to continue reading to see if there ever was an end to the prophecy. Abhimanyu and Jayadratha;  Indian Myth and Legend  by D. A. Mackenzie There are emotionally taxing moments in the war, especially about Arunja's son and how he was "slain," which traumatizes Arunja to the point where he had to weep on the battlefied Scenes like this projects the humanity aspect of a story that is mismatched with...

Life in the Forest by Indian Myth and Legend by D. A. Mackenzie I like the inclusion of sages, which is a form of wise men that offer wisdom and knowledge that is useful for the main character to use I like the dialogue that the brahmin talks to the heavens, which includes the god's name and title in traditional words of praise, this can be something that I would want to include in my general stories Arjuna and Shiva, Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita  I liked the passage of the adventures of Arjuna in the Himalayas, without any inclusion of quotes. The passage all around, only includes only description about the mountains and forests around him along with his own general description  There was also mention of the "Great God" whose name was never included in the beginning; this insinuates a sense of curiosity that is instilled in the readers and makes the readers want to read more about the story and to find out who the "Great God"...

Author's Note: This story was written in the similar style and parts inspired by " The Foolish, Timid Rabbit " in Jakata Tales by E. C. Babbitt. I've reorganized the story to fit another moralistic notion that was told in a story heard by Dan Western, called " The Wise Man ." Once upon a time, there was a happy Rabbit, living under a log in the forest. The Rabbit spends his days scurrying around the forest, looking at rocks, flowers, the skies. The Rabbit was ever so enjoying his life. Wherever he went, his smile and ecstatic attitude spread to whoever he talks to! His neighbors, the fox, the squirrels, never quite knew why the Rabbit was so happy all the time. But they can't help but to be happy whenever he comes along. The Rabbit has a special place inside his log where he kept his supply of food. He wasn't a hoarder, but it was his happy supply, and he was willing to share with those who needed it. One day, after a tiring day of frolicki...

Bhima and Hidimba. Indian Myth and Legend by D. A. Mackenzie In the introductions of the story, the environment that was created by the author to set up the scene was filled with vivid terminologies There were also inclusions of animals and even supernatural beings, such as the asuras that were considered "demigods" and that they preyed on humans I think that adding the numerous different backstories of supernatural humanoids and demons would add more danger to the story and thus excitement. The demons and other humanoid beings of the stories should also each have their own individual names, alongside with their own set of unique powers as well. Characters such as Bhima showed confidence in his own strengths that can add dimensions to an otherwise non-described character. (Bhima Wrestling Hidimba. Source: Wikimedia ) Bhima and Baka. The Indian Heroes by C. A. Kincaid In the carefully described battle scenes, the author used a number of prepositional ph...

Vyasa and Ganesha. The Mahabharata , A Summary by J. M. Macfie. This is prime example of a creation story, which I liked in terms of the inclusion of divine beings as well as absurdity in the content of the creation of the child itself.  Most stories, along with the inclusion of gods and goddesses, also have inclusion of high-ranking social figures, such as kings and sages, which is something that I think I should include in my stories as well. Also, there is always some sort of myths and legends itself that the readers have yet to know about in depth yet. For example, there is the mention of the "Five Pandu Brothers," which I feel induces curiosity within the readers themselves. King Shantanu and Ganga. Indian Myth and Legend by D. A. Mackenzie For the most parts, the main characters of the story always have the creation story that is related to, or created from, a king and/or a god/goddess which makes them stand out from any of the other characters in the storie...

Author's Note: The story that inspired this was Rama and Sita chapter of The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould . I repurposed the story based on the competition aspect, and based it off a story about two brothers fighting to be the heir to the throne, instead of one character competing with suitors to marry a princess. There once was a king who lived in grand palace. Everyone in the kingdom loved the king, even in the neighboring rival kingdoms. He was the kindest king that there ever was However, as time passed, the king was getting older and older. Being that he knew that in a short time, there will be the time where he will pass and leave the kingdom to his successor. The king had two sons, Cha and Sha, and he devised a competition to see who he deemed fit to sit on the throne and rule his kingdom with love and compassion for the people. Cha was the younger sibling, and Sha was the older sibling. Cha was a quiet child, he never spoke unless spoken to, and he always tried to re...

The Divine Archer by F. J. Gould Birth of Dasharatha's Sons The inclusion of the objects on Rama's feet, that included the vajra, dhavaja, and ankusha, which translates to the thunderbolt, the flag, and the elephant goad. These were significant as each one of them was representative of culture. Vajra being a weapon of ritualistic purposes that symbolizes both the thunderbolt and the diamond.  Shows the skills of Rama, such as the mastery of the ancient religious texts, known as the Vedas, when he was only of a young age. Rama and Sita Shows the love between Sita and Rama, the author expressively portrays this through activities that each participated in, in order to show their love. For example, Sita prayed for Rama to the Bhavani, which translates to the "giver of life." and Rama often dreams about Sita. There was also included a contest to win Sita's hand in marriage by bending the Bow of Shiva, which Rama impressed the crowd with. The inclusion of ...

Author's Note: The formatting of this short story is a derivative of " Indra's Chariot " from  Ramayana, the Epic of Rama, Prince of India , condensed in English by Romesh Dutt. The story is written in couplet form, painting the story of the clash between Yerdua, the Queen of Demons and The Hero. There the demon laid, with nothing to conceal him but the odor of defeat There the demon queen, Yerdua, laid, with blood and tears from the her nose to her feet Arms outstretched, seeking only for the mercy of the hero who conquered her Slowly drifting away, the once lively spark in her eyes have stumbled to merely a blur The hero stood over her, with nothing but distaste on his face But he knew he must continue forward -- for this was nothing more than an obstacle in his race But all in sudden, before he could continue, the gods acted with such rash Lightning struck. The clouds darkened. The sounds of the birds stopped. A flash! Yerdua's body rose with such...

For this storybook, I'm thinking to tell tales about how a character receives a sacred weapon, and then will have spin-offs has to what the legends of those weapons are and where they came from, who wielded them, etc. Some of the sources that I will be using will be: About the Asi in the Mahabharata , the general Wikipedia overview for it, and of course the PDE Version of the Ramayana . Some stories that I might want to use would be " Rama's Attack ", The Asi , and " Viradha" . Many of which in here have valuable details about battles and description about how to use such weapons against their foes! The story I'm thinking of will be in third person narrating the battles and how the weapons came into existence as part of a spin-off informational story. Therefore, with such a collection of stories and background information about such weapons, I think the structure would be more towards an anthology. To the readers, I want them to be intrigued by the co...

(Adele Quote. Source: Makeameme ) Hello, here is the link to my storybook ! Thank you for the feedback :^)

Author's Note: The formatting of this short story is a derivative of " Indra's Chariot " from Ramayana, the Epic of Rama, Prince of India , condensed in English by Romesh Dutt. The story is written in couplet form, painting the story of the clash between Yerdua, the Queen of Demons and The Hero. There the demon laid, with nothing to conceal him but the odor of defeat There the demon queen, Yerdua, laid, with blood and tears from the her nose to her feet Arms outstretched, seeking only for the mercy of the hero who conquered her Slowly drifting away, the once lively spark in her eyes have stumbled to merely a blur The hero stood over her, with nothing but distaste on his face But he knew he must continue forward -- for this was nothing more than an obstacle in his race But all in sudden, before he could continue, the gods acted with such rash Lightning struck. The clouds darkened. The sounds of the birds stopped. A flash! Yerdua's body rose with such ...

The Bridge , Indian Myth and Legend by D. A. Mackenzie In terms of characterization, the story included appropriate and extravagant names for the powerful characters in the story.  For example, God of Ocean was the name of the being that was in control of the body of water that Rama was trying to get across to Lanka. In addition, all of the characters, especially godly and/or ones that the readers are yet to know, are followed by with their lineage title. For example, the author of the story included Nala, "son of Vishwakarma, the divine artisan ... " This is something that I could add to the extravagance in the description of the characters I will use in my story. Notice excessive usage of commas and long and visually descriptive sentences. Rama Attacks , Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita With the frequency of powerful enemies that Rama comes across during his journey, each one has their own characterization and division of power. In "Rama ...

In " Why do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise ," I can see that often bosses are so hesitant on giving praise, as they do not know how to balance between the praises and the criticism. It can often be perceived negatively if the boss only gives out negative reviews, which can often times be critical according to the employees. Rather, in the surveys, from both sides, they would feel much better if the boss gives out praises as well as constructive criticism. Also, if there were praises, the article emphasizes that the praises must be highly specific and not just a "good job" as it gives more information to the workers what they are doing well on so they can continue in such a pattern. Therefore, in balance, would create criticism more effectively. In another article, titled " Be a Mirror " It again talks about the importance of growth mindset. One of the suggestions that intrigued me was, towards the end, the author talks about how if we start praisin...

I have chosen to do more research upon some of the weapons of the gods that are imperative to the characterization of them and how they resolve certain "conflicts." For example, one of the weapons that I find interesting is the Sudarshana Chakra used by Vishnu. The weapon itself is in the shape of "wheel" and the one belonging to Vishnu contains 108 serrated edges, which can be highly effecting in short and/or long range combat. There are even versions of it where the wheel is on fire! One story that I can use is in The Ramayana, in the Battle of Khara , where it shows Rama obtaining the celestial weapon to defeat his opponent. The usage of obtaining the weapon in a close battle and then changing the whole balance of it can be something that I could be able to use in the story. Another weapon that I found was the Asi , that was prevalent in the Mahabharata, where it tells that the original creation of the weapon itself by Brahma, which is interesting as this it...