Week 14 Reading Notes: Krishna: The Saviour , Part I

Shalva Attacks Dwarka

Krishna was in Indraprastha when the attack happened. Shalva was Shishupala's friend and wanted to avenge him by destroying all Yadavas. He began penance to summon Shiva and ask for a boon. He asks for a vehicle to attack the Yadavas. The vehicle can travel anywhere. 

Vehicle Features:

• Carries thousands of people
•  Indestructible
• Travel in air, water, and land.
• Disappears/ Teleports

Pradyumna (Krishna's son) took charge and attacked the army along with his brothers and the 

Yadava warriors. They shot a bunch of arrows until they hit Shalva. Shalva's minister hits Pradyumna so his charioteer retreats. Pradyumna is angry when he wakes up because they ran away.

The charioteer does his dharma and protects Pradyumna. 

They go back and continue the battle which was still happening. As Krishna and Balarama return and find their city chaos and their chariot is struck by an arrow and Krishna's shoulder.

Krishna attacks Shalva and he disappears with his magic vehicle. Shalva kidnaps Vasudeva (Krishna's father) and beheads him in front of Krishna but it turns out to be an illusion. 

Sudama Visits Krishna

Sudama is brahmin and one of Krishna's childhood friends. He lived in poverty with his wife. When he visits he takes rice to give to Krishna but is embarrassed to give it. Krishna appreciates it and Sudama spends the night in his palace. When he leaves, Krishna doesn't give him anything because wealth can ruin a person. 

Sudama is understanding of this.

When he returns to his home, he sees a palace. He also has servants. 

Arjuna Marries Subhadra

Arjuna and Subhadra
Image Source: (Raja Ravi Varma)

Subhadra is Krishna and Balarama's sister. Balarama was planning to marry her off to Duryodhana which Vasudeva and Krishna were against.

Isn't it up to the father who his daughter marries? 

Arjuna hears about this and goes to visit Balarama in disguise as a brahmin. Subhadra fell in love with Arjuna at first sight. He kidnaps her with Vasudeva and Krishna's help. 

Week 13 Reading Notes: Krishna: An Ally of the Pandavas, Part B

Dvivda

He is an ape with the strength of ten thousand elephants. Enraged by his friend, Narakasura's death, he goes to get revenge on Krishna by creating havoc in Anarta.

• Throws boulders on houses
• Churned sea with his hands until coastal villages submerged
• Kidnapped & held people captive 

Balarama stops him with his favorite weapon, a pestle.

Samba & Princess Lakshman

Duryodhana holds an event since it's time for his daughter to get married.

It's ironic how Duryodhana's daughter is named Lakshmana.

Samba (Krishna's son) kidnaps her in front of everyone. He tries to, fight the warriors himself and his overpowered by the Kauravas and is held captive. Narada tells Balarama and he goes to Hastinapura to persuade them to release Samba. It doesn't work so Balarama causes an earthquake in their kingdom with his weapon. They release Samba and his new wife to prevent Balarama from destroying the kingdom and ask him for forgiveness. 

 So it looks like Duryodhana did do his dharma as a king after all. 

Narada Visits Krishna 

Krishna, The Pandavas and Narada converse with Bhishma who is on the bed of Arrows
Image Source: (Ramanarayanadatta astri)

He was curious about how Krishna was living after marrying so many women. Each of his forms were doing regular things with their families. 

A messenger comes to seek Krishna's help. Several kings have been held captive by Jarasandha in Girivraja. Bheema is sent to handle the issue while Krishna attends a ceremony for the Pandavas at the advice of  his council. 

They go disguised as Brahmins and declare a fight with Jarasandha. He refuses to fight Krishna and Arjuna because he doesn't think they are worthy enough but he fights Bheema and even gives him a mace. They both fight with maces.

Jarasandha seems to be somewhat fair. 

The fight went on for days because both men had equal strength and fighting skills. Krishna gives Bheema a hint by breaking a twig. Jarasandha could be defeated if he was broken like a twig since his mother put two halves together to create him.

Jarasandha's son, Sahadeva, became king afterwards.

He was the good guy unlike his father. 

p. 224 The Yajna

The Pandavas prepare for the Yajna ceremony. A prince gets jealous because Krishna is given the first worship. Some people get angry and leave while others were ready to fight Shishupala for insulting Krishna. Krishna tries to calm everyone down but Shishupala tries to attack him and ends up getting his head cut off by Krishna. 

Duryodhana is jealous of the Pandavas wealth after the ceremony and thinks the palace built by Maya is in an illusion. Everyone but Yudhishthira laughed at him so Duryodhana did not attend the ceremony. 

Week 13 Reading Notes: Krishna: The Victorious, Part A

Krishna's Visits the Pandavas

Krishna stays with the Pandavas for 4 months during the rainy season. Arjuna meets a woman named Kalindi (daughter of Surya). and learns that she wants Lord Vishnu to be her husband and is undergoing penance for it. She vowed to live in the forest until she meets Krishna. They end up getting married. He then marries another woman who happens to be a sister of Duryodhana's ally.

He tames seven bulls to marry another woman. He tames them by creating seven forms of himself.  The couple leaves with an army behind them to Dwarka.

Krishna' rescues 16,000 princesses that ask to be his wives
Image Source: (Wikipedia)

It looks like Krishna married every girl that wanted him or needed saving.

Seven sons of Mura attack Krishna after Krishna breaks the mountain surrounding a city. Krishna fights them because they stole the earring of Mother Aditi. Inside the palace, he finds 16,000 princesses imprisoned. They had all been captured by Narakasura.

Seven seems to be significant in this story. 

Krishna sends the women to Dwarka and splits himself into multiple versions of himself and marries all of them. He gives each of them their own palace to live in.

Each of his wives have 10 sons each.

Meanwhile Banasura is devoted to Shiva. Shiva finally appears and grants Banasura a boon until Banasura asks for it. He says that his thousand hands are useless and asks Shiva to protect him in his fight against Krishna. Shiva is angered but grants him the boon but tells him his arrogance will be crushed.

Aniruddha

Usha has a dream of Aniruddha (Krishna's son) and Usha's close friend summons him into the palace which is heavily guarded. Banasura is angry. Meanwhile in Dwarka no one has seen Aniruddha in 4 months and its revealed that he'd been captured by Banasura. 

Shiva helps Banasura fight Krishna but is put to sleep by Krishna. Krishna cuts off Banasura arms and spares him. Banasura is  grateful to him.

Week 12 Reading Notes: Krishna: The Enchanter, Part B

Jursasandha is still having a war with Krishna.

The brothers run from him and make it look like they jumped to their deaths. The king of Magadha thinks he destroyed them.

Balarama Gets Married

Balarama marries Revati. Meanwhile Krishna wants to marry a girl named Rukmini because of her intelligence and beauty. She has five brothers, all of who hate Krishna because of their loyalty to Shishupala. She sends a messenger to tell Krishna what's happening. 

The two  come up with a plan to elope.

Rukimini's brother gives Krishna a chance to give up Rukmini and leave but Krishna fights him. When he's about to kill her brother, she stops him. Rama shaves half his head instead. Balarama explains to Rukmini that her brother deserved what he got and not to hate them for what they've done.

Balarama always justifies Krishna's actions.

Krishna and Rukmini get married while Rukmi vows to get revenge on Krishna.

p.159

An Incarnation of Kamadeva Is Born

Krishna's son is born. His name is Pradyumna. He is kidnapped by a demon and is thrown into the ocean and eaten by a fish. Some fishermen catch the fish and find the baby inside its stomach. Mayavati (Kamadeva's husband) finds him, raises him, and trains him to fight a demon.

She takes him to Krishna's palace. Rukmini recognizes him. Krishna is falsely blamed for a crime.

Krishna suggested that Satrajit give his gem to King Ugrasena but he gives it to his brother, Parsena for a day. Parsena is killed by a lion and Jambavan, a bear, finds it and gives it to his son to play with. 

Satrajit wonders if Krishna killed his brother for the gem and a rumor is spread.

A story can be made about the gem and how it travels from person to person.

Krishna investigates what happened to Parsena. Jambavati and Krishna fight for 28 days and finally work out their differences. 

Syamantaka Gem
Image Source: Sarang

p. 168

Ugrasena Court

Krishna explains how he got the gem and proves his innocence. To atone for his crimes, Satrajit gives his daughter to Krishna to marry and also the gem. He is murdered because by two men who wanted to marry his daughter. They killed him as revenge and took the gem. The men are scared when they find out Krishna is after them.

Krishna sounds like a bounty hunter. 

Week 12 Reading Notes: Krishna: The Lord of Dwarka, Part A

The Sons Reunite with their Parents

Krishna and Balrama's birth parents forget that they are their sons and treat them like they're gods so he casts a spell on them to make them forget about his divinity for a little bit.

Krishna also visits his grandfather, Ugrasena, who was also imprisoned by Kamsa and makes him king of Yadavas again and the people return to the kingdom. They had originally fled to neighboring kingdoms.

Krishna and Ugrasena
Image Source: Wikipedia

p. 116 Krishna and Balrama's Guru

The brothers go to the ashram and are taught by sage Sandipani. Based on tradition, they make an offering to their guru. The guru asks that Krishna restores his son who drowned at a seashore called Prabhasa. The boys set out to the seashore and speak to the ocean that assumes the form of a human. The ocean reveals that an asura disguised as a conch shell lives in the ocean took the sage's son away. He kills the demon and takes the shell to the Yama, the Lord of Death and fetch the guru's son. 

p.118 The Messenger

Krishna sends a messenger to let his adoptive parents, Nanda and Yashoda know that he and Balarama are okay. Nanda questions if his son even remembers him. The messenger stays at Vrindavana for several months talking about Krishna with the Gopikas before returning and telling Krishna about what's been going on back home.

Krishna and The Pandavas

Krishna sends his uncle, Akura, to visit the Pandavas in Hastinapura. Their father has died and Duryodhana has taken over the kingdom. Krishna wants to go check on them to make sure they're okay.

p. 120 Krishna and the Pandavas are close friends. 

It looks like someone(Akura) was watching the Pandavas when they were tricked into the gambling match. Akura is Kunti's cousin and talks to her about it. He tries to reason with Duryodhana's father and learns his favoring his own sons (Kauravas) over the Pandavas (no surprise there).

Kamsa's Wives

After Kamsa's death, his wives go back to their fathers and tell them what happened. The King of Magadha, Jarasandha wants revenge.  

Krishna has a small army. He blows his conch shell which scared Jarasandha's army. Jurasandha says he's embarrassed to fight Krishna alone because he is so young and lets Balarama fight with him.

At least he's fair.

The brothers destroy the army and let the king live. The king felt humiliated and was going to atone for it but was convinced by other kings that he could defeat Krishna.

p.133 Krishna vs. Kalyavana

Jarasandha attacks seventeen more times loses each time. On the eighteenth time Kalayavana confronts them because he thought he was as mighty as the brothers. 

The brothers create a fort city to protect the people. Krishna approached Kalayvana without weapons so he puts his weapons away too. 

Kalayvana is also fair.

Krishna makes Kalyvana chase him into a cave. In the cave, he finds a sleeping man that he thought was Krishna and kicks him. The man turns out ot be an asura and sets Kalayvana on fire with his eyes which turns him into ashes.

Week 11 Famous Last Words: So Close, Yet So Far

I can't believe how close it until the end of the semester. At the same time it feels so far! This week I was able to get a head a little on Storytelling and have written stories for all the upcoming weeks which I will be posting soon.

This week I have two midterms. I am really happy with my grades right now. Unlike some of my previous semesters, I've been able to keep them where I want them. Of course there's always room for improvements. Since I haven't had much homework this week, I 've been studying for midterms.

This week one of my professor's wanted to make our midterm review fun and is having a scavenger hunt for us. I'm hoping it isn't too cold since he wants us to run around campus to solve the problems.

My new puppy, Tuffy, finally got his first round of shots so that was exciting. He's also learning how to sit. Shiva has been taking great care of his new little brother and absolutely adores him. It's really entertaining to watch them play with each other. Of course since Shiva is the big brother, he likes to mess with Tuffy by putting his paw on him and taking his toys. Here is a short video of one of their antics:

Despite, finals, I have been able to find some time to relax. This weekend saw two movies with some friends. We saw the Blockers, which by the way was hilarious! We also saw A Quiet Place. That one had a lot of suspense and was very interesting since the people did not talk most of the time in the movie. Below is a trailer of the movie A Quiet Place posted from YouTube.

Week 11 Story: The States vs. Vyomasura

A little boy walks in looking innocent. I rolled my eyes. How dumb do thse asuras think I am? I noticed the horse was missing some teeth. I smirked, serves him right. 


JUDGE KARMA: Cut the crap. I know it's you, Vyomasura.


The boy transforms into a large man. His skin is an ugly muddy brown. He had long, black hair and a moustache. On his ears were golden earrings and around his neck was a gold necklace. He was not wearing a no shirt but thankfully he had on pants. His pants were red with a green cloth and a golden belt. It was not a pleasant sight to see.

He sheepishly smiled at Judge Karma.

VYOMASURA: Well, it was worth a shot.


JUDGE KARMA(Giving Vyomasura a bored look): Do I even have to explain why your here?


VYOMASURA: It wasn't my fault, your Honor. Kamsa told me to do it.


JUDGE KARMA: You kidnapped five boys and then held them hostage in a cave. You say that's not your fault?


VYOMASURA: It was the only way I could get to Krishna.


JUDGE KARMA: So you admit, you were trying to  kill Krishna?


VYOMASURA: What? No!


JUDGE KARMA: It sure sounds like it.


VYOMASURA: Fine! Yes! I did but like I said, Kamsa told me to. He is my king and I could not disobey him. But what about the fact that Krishna knocked me out and nearly killed me?


JUDGE KARMA(Looking at Krishna in amusement): Oh really? Krishna do you care to explain why you did this?


At this point Judge Karma was only mocking Vyomasura.


KRISHNA(Smiling at Judge Karma): Sure thing, your Honor. We were playing hide and seek but then I noticed my friends were disappearing one by one. I went to investigate and found Vyomasura blocking a cave with a large rock while my friends screamed for help. Vyomasura saw me and tried to attack me so I simply defended myself. I may have hit him too hard but clearly it wasn't hard enough.


JUDGE KARMA(Nodding her head in understanding): I see. Vyomasura, it sounds like you were simply obeying your King, however, you still put innocent lives in danger, children nonetheless. As Krishna said, he clearly didn't hit you hard enough but no worries. I've got better plans for you.


VYOMASURA(Smiling gratefully at Judge Karma): Oh thank you, your Honor.


JUDGE KARMA: I wasn't done yet. I am sentencing you to be a rock for the rest of your life as a consequence of your actions. The only way you will be human again is if Krishna decides you can. He will come and tell me and I will make you human again.


VYOMASURA: Krishna! Please! I'm sorry.


And then silence.

Vyomasura's Sentence
Image Source: pixaby

AUTHORS NOTE: This story is based off of the Victory Over Kamsa part of the Bhagwat comic book. In the original version, Kamsa sends various asuras (demons) to kill Krishna. Krishna kills each and everyone of them including Vyomasura.

Krishna and his friends were playing a game which Vyomasura joins. He disguises himself as a cowherd which is a little boy. While they are playing, he takes Krishna's friends and puts them in a cave and covers the cave with a large rock. Krishna figures out that Vyomasura was behind this and kills him,

I changed the part where Krishna kills Vyomasura to him knocking him out of consciousness because I didn't think it was realistic tl summon a deceased person to court. Vyomasura disguises himself as a boy when he comes into the court in an attempt to trick Judge Karma. In this story, he takes responsibility for his actions because as I read the original story, I realized that not all the asuras are bad. They were only following their king's orders.

Reading Notes: Krishna: Victory Over Kamsa, Part B

Setting: It is Shivaratri. Krishna and his family go to visit a nearby forests along with other people and fast.

Krishna's father is attacked by a python. Krishna kicks it and it turns into a man.The man was cursed for laughing at two people and making fun of their faces since he was rich.

Shankhachooda kidnaps two girls

• Devotee of Kubera
• Krishna beheads him

The tone in this story is less aggressive and more peaceful than the Ramayana even when Krishna attacks demons.  However Krishna is brutal when he kills demons.

Animals are also charmed by Krishna's flute.

A demon named Arishtasura attacks Krishna in the form of a bull.

A lot of the demons go disguised as animals when they try to attack Krishna but all end up getting killed. 

Narada seems to encourage Kamsa to be evil but also tries to keep him from killing.

• He tells Kamsa that Vasudeva sent his boys to his friends to protect them from their uncle
• He convinces Kamsa not to kill Vasudeva but instead to hold him and his wife prisoner.

In Kamsa's defense, he felt threatened since he was told that one of his nephew's would try to kill him but he's a coward for not fighting his battle himself. 

If he does fight his own battles, it's only if the person he's fighting is at a disadvantage like the babies he killed. The parents were also chained up so they couldn't fight back.

Kamsa summons Mushtika, a wrestler, and the Keeper of elephants to kill Krishna and Balarama. He also calls his ministers.

Plan A: The keeper's elephant must kill them at the gates of the kingdom

Plan B: Mushtika must make it look like an accident while they're wrestling.

His ministers are called to arrange a celebration of a bow sacrifice to ensure his plan succeeds.

If his plans succeeds, Kamsa plans to kill Vasudeva, other Vrishnis, his own father, and all his enemies.

The attempted murder was premeditated.

Motive: He wanted to conquer the earth. 

p. 96

Another demon named Vyomasura disguises himself as a boy and plays with Krishna and his friends. He kidnaps Krishna's friends and traps them in a cave by blocking the cave with a large rock.

Krishna realizes what's happening and the demon transforms into a large muddy brown man. He has a moustache and long hair and is wearing golden earrings, a necklace, and green and red pants. He is also not wearing any shoes.

Krishna kills the asura and helps his friends escape.

Akura is sent by Kamsa to get Krishna and Balarama to take them back to Mathura so that Kamsa can ambush them.  Akura is happy to go get them because he gets to see them but he tells them Kamsa's plan.

Krishna's father hears what happened and tells the boys to play along with the plan. They visit Mathura and are adored by everyone.

Kamsa is good to his people and is doing his dharma as a king. They are kind to Krishna. Some of the people are also loyal to Kamsa. 

The Wrestling Match

Krishna kills Kamsa
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Kamsa holds a wrestling match with five of his strongest men against Krishna and Balirama, who are both still children.

All five are defeated and Krishna kills Kamsa. Kamsa's eight younger brother's try to take revenge but they get killed too.

Week 12 Storytelling: The People vs.Kamsa

I was already sitting at my desk waiting for the next trail when the doors opened. Ah, right on time. First, Vasudeva and Devaki, Krishna and Balarama's parents, walk in. Then Nanda, and Yashoda, Krishna's and Balarama's adoptive parents.

Finally, Krishna and Balarama walk in each holding an arm of man wearing an orange jumpsuit. His long black hair and a beard looks tangled. He looks like he hasn't showered in days. This must be Kamsa.Kamsa's arms and legs are chained together as they bring him in. The people glare at him with hatred and disgust. Some people even yell obscenities at him. 

Everyone turns their attention  from Kamsa to their prince, Krishna. They look at him in admiration. He is looking rather stunning with his black, long, and wavy hair. He is dressed in a suit with brown dress shoes. They all look at him with love and adoration. I bang my gavel to let everyone know that the trial is starting. Everyone goes silent.

JUDGE KARMA(Looking at Vasudeva and Devaki): Hello Vasudeva and Devaki. Thank you for coming today. It must've been difficult for you both.

VASUDEVA(Vasudeva and Devaki smile): Thank you, Your Honor. We are honored to be in your presence.

JUDGE KARMA(Looking at Nanda and Yashoda): Nanda, Yashoda, I hope you guys are doing good as well. It must have been so stressful and hard to raise that mischievous son of yours.

KRISHNA: Hey!


NANDA(Nanda and Yashoda chuckle): He was quite the handful, but we loved him nonetheless, Your Honor.

JUDGE KARMA(Judge Karma smiles and then looks at Kamsa): Kamsa, I've heard so much about you! It's finally nice to meet the person that has been terrorizing all of Yadavas and Vrindavana. I hear you held your cousin captive and also killed innocent babies. Care to explain?

KAMSA(Kamsa looking uncomfortable replies): It's actually King Kamsa, Your Honor.


JUDGE KARMA: I will address you as I please. Only a true king deserves such a royal title, and based on your deeds, you are far from it. Now are you going to explain yourself or should I just give you the sentence?


KAMSA: I was only trying to protect myself. They were all going to kill me!

JUDGE KARMA(Judge Karma feigns shock): Kill you? Please do tell.

KAMSA: A sage came to my kingdom and warned me that one Devaki's children would kill me. He never said when or how. All he said was that I would die at the hands of my cousin's child. 

JUDGE KARMA: But that doesn't explain why you wanted to kill everyone else, including your own father, Ugrasena.


KAMSA: If I killed Krishna, my father would've taken the kingdom away from me so I held him captive until I could find time to kill him. All of Krishna's and Balarama's devotees would've been angry and would've come after me. I felt threatened!


KRISHNA(Krishna laughs in mock humor): Really, Kamsa? You of all people felt threatened? By a baby? This is rich! You are such a coward! You got other people to fight your battles for you unless the person was at a disadvantage. Admit it, you just wanted to rule the world and corrupt it.


KAMSA(Kamsa yelling at Krishna): That is not true! I was scared for my life! And that's King Kamsa to you, boy!


JUDGE KARMA: You better tone it down right now, Kamsa. I can make you disappear with a snap of my fingers.


Judge Karma snaps her fingers to make her point causing Kamsa to flinch.


KRISHNA: It's fine, your Honor. We all know what a huge coward he is. He'll probably just go find someone to do the dirty work for him. He did chain my birth parents up after all so that he could personally kills all my infant siblings. I bet if my parents hadn't been chained up and locked in a cell, my father could've beat him to a pulp.


KAMSA: Are you really going to let him talk to me like this, your Honor?


JUDGE KARMA(Judge Karma puts her hand up causing Kamsa to smirk): That's enough, Krishna.


JUDGE KARMA(Looking at Kamsa): It is obvious that you're delusional, Kamsa. Unfortunately for you, you aren't delusional enough. You clearly knew what you were doing is wrong and yet you still went through with it. I have to agree with Krishna, you are indeed a coward. You only killed those innocent and helpless babies after you chained Devaki and Vasudeva up. Krishna, is right. You are weak.


KRISHNA(Krishna's arms are crossed): Don't forget selfish, your Honor.


JUDGE KARMA(Giving Krishna a warning look, Krishna meekly smiles and sits down. Looking back at Kamsa): You know what, Kamsa? I think you're a fool. Did you ever think that maybe your actions is what would lead to your demise?  Or that maybe that the sage was giving you a wake up call to change your behavior? Or even that the sage might be tricking you?


KAMSA(As Karma spoke to him, his smirk slowly falls): Well no your honor but -


JUDGE KARMA(Judge Karma interrupting Kamsa puts a hand up): Enough! Kamsa, your are undeserving of being king. I am stripping you of your royal title and granting it back to King Ugrasena. Furthermore, you will be imprisoned in the dungeons of Yadavas for the rest of your life like you did to your family members. If King Ugrasena decides he wants to do something else with you, he is welcome to but just know if you are set free, I will personally see to it that you do not get to live your life peacefully. In fact, I am designating Krishna to make your life a living hell if you are ever set free.


KAMSA(Kamsa looks at Judge Karma in shock): Your Honor, I know what I did was wrong. But
you have to understand that I was only trying to protect myself. Also Krishna killed people too!


JUDGE KARMA: See now that was your biggest mistake. You were only looking out for yourself. You did not care for your kingdom, your family, or anyone else. You had a dharma as an uncle, and a king, and you neglected it for your own gain. I hope you can makes things right in your next life but for now, all I'm going to say is, good riddance. And for the record, Krishna didn't commit murder. He was using self-defense and it wasn't just for himself. It was for everyone that YOU put in danger.


KAMSA(Kamsa looking at Krishna) : Krishna, you have to stop her, your my nephew. Please, we can work this out outside of the court.


KRISHNA: I'm afraid that's a little too late, Uncle.


JUDGE KARMA: The decision has been made! Kamsa, you will die at the hands of your own nephew.


I banged my gavel in finality. 

Krishna kills Kamsa
Image Source: Wikipedia

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is based off the Bhagwat: The Krishna Avatar by Amar Chitra. In the original story a sage warns Kamsa about his death. He is told that one of Devaki's children will kill him. He holds Vasudeva and Devaki captive in a cell and kills all of their newborns but Vasudeva had manages to sneak Krishna out and switch him with his friend's baby, who was a girl. When he threw the baby girl, a goddess had appeared and cursed him. He had eventually found Krishna, and sent demons to go and kill him but Krishna was too powerful. Krishna kills Kamsa in a wrestling match. After he killed Kamsa, he gave the title of Yadavas back to his grandfather.

In this story, Judge Karma sentences Kamsa in way that allows him to live an unhappy life. I did that because I wanted Krishna still be able to have the power to kill him like he did in the original story. I felt like his death was too quick in the original story and that he didn't really pay for what he did.

Week 13 Storytelling: Kamadeva Gets Married

Kamadeva puts on his black tuxedo and dress shoes on. He was a little nervous but also very excited. She was finally going to be his wife. He had courted her for several years but always got turned down but his persistence and determination finally paid off.

There is a knock on the door and a lady dressed in a professional manner walks in. She was the wedding planner. She claps and says,"It's time!

He entered the temple and looks around. Several people are gathered for the wedding including the raksasas, princes, kings, and queens.

He was currently in his dressing room with his best man, Krishna, and his groomsmen, Rama, and Arjuna.


"How come it took long for the god of love to get hitched?", asked Krishna in a teasing manner as he helped Kamadeva with his tie.

"What do you mean? How? I think the real question is Why?, replied Arjuna in a teasing manner.


"Love sure works in mysterious ways, Kamadeva should know that better than anyone. Isn't that right?, Rama asked Kamadeva.

Kamadeva just laughs and says, "I would've been married sooner if that woman wasn't so hard headed." He thought about his soon-to-be wife. The two would always fought because of Kamadeva's mischief with his love arrows. He would often make a person whose already fallen in love, love another, and then she would have to clean up his mess.  

Krishna just shook his head and chuckled. 

Him and his soon-to-be wife had affected many people's lives. Some for the worst, and some for the better but regardless, they were all here to celebrate their big day. Kamadeva slowly walked to the altar. His best man, the groomsmen, and the bridesmaids walked in next, each as a couple. It was Krishna and Radha, Rama and Sita, and Arjuna and Draupadi. Kamadeva and his bride had strategically place the couples together. Even on his big day, he was working his magic.

They were now patiently waiting on the bride. 

The wedding march began playing and everyone stood up and looked at the door as the light shone in with a silhouette of the bride.

The woman put on her black wedding dress. Her bridesmaids, Draupadi, Sita, and Radha, gently grabbed her arms and sat her down in front of the dresser. They were currently in the dressing room getting ready for the her big day.

She smiled at her wonderful friends. Over time, they became very close after their court trials. They were very grateful for what their friend had done for them.

Draupadi started working on the bride's hair while Sita worked on her makeup. As they worked on their dear friend, Draupadi teased her and said, "Wow whoever thought you would ever get married. Your so stubborn and hard headed."

She playfully glared at her friend. 

"Careful, we can't have you messing up your makeup!", said Sita as she applied some black eyeliner on her eyes.

As Draupadi and Sita did the finishing touches, Radha walks over to the bride with a smile and hands her a bouquet of white roses. 

"I'll be sure to throw these at you, Radha. I've seen the way you look at Krishna.", she teased. Radha's cheeks turn red as she shyly looks away.

There is a knock on the door and the wedding planner walks in. She claps and says,"It's time!" As the bridesmaids leave they each look back at her and give her a smile. The door closes.

The bride looks into the mirror. She was a little nervous but also excited. Never in her years did she even think of getting married. She has always seeked advice from Kamadeva during her court trials. He balanced her out. While she was ruthless and all about returning favors, he was about making peace and spreading love around the world.

Another knock comes on the door and the wedding planner walks in and says, "It's finally time! You are looking absolutely beautiful!"

She smiles at the wedding planner. Together they walk towards the doors of the temple. She meets her father who gives her a warm smile. A tear of happiness rolls down his cheek. 

"I am so proud of you darling.", he says to her and gives her a kiss on the cheek. The wedding march starts playing as the doors open. She grabs her father's arm and together they walk to the altar.

Kamadeva watches as his bride makes her way to the altar. His father-in-law gives her a kiss on the cheek and gives to her soon-to-be husband. Kamadeva gently grabs it and helps her onto the altar. The couple gazed into eachothers eyes lovingly.

As the music dies down, the priest begins to speak,"We are gathered here today to watch these two wonderful souls become one. "

"Do you Kamadeva, take Karma to be your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, through sickness and in health, until the universe tears you both apart?", asks the priest.

"I do.", replies Kamadeva as he gazes into Karma's eyes.

"And do you Karma, take Kamadeva to be your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, through sickness and in health, until the universe tears you both apart?", asks the priest.

Karma looks at the crowd and then back at Kamadeva and replies, " I do."

"If there are any objections please speak or forever hold your peace.", says the priest.


The room is silent.


"In the presence of all the gods and goddesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride.", says the priest.

Kamadeva swoops in and gives Karma a sweet kiss as the guests start cheering and wolf-whistling.

'Who knew?', thought Karma with a smile.

Karma's Wedding Dress
Source: nafDress

Author's Note: I decided to create my own story and combine all the characters from both the Mahabharata and Ramayana into this story. The groomsmen and bridesmaids were main characters from both the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Radha is the only one who is not in either of these stories. She and Krishna were a couple in a different version of the Krishna tales which I grew up hearing about. In the story I grew up hearing about, Krishna had only one wife instead of several. The Bhagwat illustrates that Krishna had many wives which I didn't really like.

I purposefully chose the title that I created to keep Karma a mystery until the end. From Case 1 of my portfolio, Kamadeva had made a guest appearance as a marriage counselor towards the end. I thought about how the characters were personalities were so different and thought this would make a great story. I decided to surprise the readers by having them get married.

The setting is in a temple since India has temples instead of churches. Karma's dress is black to reflect her personality and demeanor in society. The priest says universe instead of death doing them apart because both of them are immortal. 

I did not mention Karma's name but I explained how the two balanced each other out. By this, I was not only referring to their characters but to the decisions Karma makes in her court. I've made her kind of a ruthless and sarcastic character. I thought it would be a good idea to allow readers to put the pieces together. 

I want to convey the idea that when Karma handles a case, she seeks Kamadeva's advice because of his nature and job as cupid. I also mentioned Karma having to clean up his messes occasionally which was a reference to Draupadi and the Pandavas as well as my story from Week 6. Arjuna was brought to trial because he married three different women. I want to give readers the idea that Kamadeva had done this because he is also mischievous. 

I also said Karma became friends with the bridesmaids after the trial so that people know she isn't bias when making her decisions in each case.

I vaguely mentioned Kamadeva in one of my very first stories with Judge Karma. He had been a marriage counselor for Rama and Sita. Since Karma is all about justice and Kamadeva is about love and peace, I thought they would both make a good couple and created this story about their wedding. In most of my stories Karma's personality seemed cold so I wanted to show a different side of her in this story. Since Kamadeva is an Indian cupid, I thought about all the messy love stories throughout both the Ramayana and Mahabharata and combined it with Karma and made them balance each other out.

The Pandava Bachelors: Meeting the Bachelorettes

Vasuki walks on to the stage smiling. He is wearing a black tuxedo. "Hello again everyone! Welcome to the second part of the Bachelor!", Vasuki greets the crowd. "Today these lovely gentlemen will be meeting their new brides!",  he continues. The crowd roars in excitement.

"But before we bring out these beauties, we're going to have these gentlemen have a seat." The five men exchange looks with one another and then look at Vasuki in confusion. They thought the chairs facing the crowd were for the women.

"What are you guys waiting for? Sit down!", Vasuki happily exclaims. The men hesitantly sit down on the chairs. The stage crew comes out rolling a large wall and places it in between them and the side where the women will be entering. 

"What's going on?, Bheem asks. Vasuki replies, "I'm glad you asked, Bheem! We are going to change things up a bit. Instead of picking your wife, I'm going to introduce them and ask them some questions. If you like the answers, you'll have the choice to pick one the ladies to marry." Vasuki  gestures to someone to come onto the stage.

"Come on out ladies!", exclaims Vasuki. The crowd claps and screams as the beautiful women walk out in a line. There are even some wolf whistles.

"Welcome ladies!", greets Vasuki. "So before we start asking questions, let's introduce our bachelorettes!" Vasuki faces the first lady and says, "First we have the magnificent Ulupi! She is the daughter of a Kourayva, the king of snakes?", Vasuki asks as he looks toward the black-haired woman in confusion.

The woman confidently looks at the crowd and says, "That is correct. My father is a snake charmer. He can get any snake under control just by looking at them."

"Scary, but interesting, and how about you? I'm assuming you've grown up around snakes, surely you've wrestled some.", asks Vasuki.

"I have as a matter of fact. I have also fought a few demons.", Ulupi replies.

"Wow, not only is she brave, but she is strong, like a warrior!", exclaims Vasuki. Vasuki's statement catches Bheema's attention. 'Warrior', he thought. Sounds like my kind of woman.  Bheema smirks at this thought.

"Next, we have the sweet Chitra."

"So tell me, Chitra, what do you look for in a husband?" 

Chitra is wearing a pink, long-sleeved dress that flows out with golden earrings and a necklace. She shyly looks up with her big blue eyes and softly says with a smile, ,"I want a  husband who will love me as much as I will love him."

Yudhistira slowly looks up at the sound of Chitra's voice. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"Very nice!", reples Vasuki. "So what are your hobbies?"

Chitra replies, "I like painting and dancing."

"Well there you have, it! Chitra everyone!", says Vasuki. The crowd claps as they look at Chitra in awe.

Yudhithira tried to ignore the sound of his heart pounding in his chest and listen to Vasuki introduce the next woman but his thoughts kept going back to Chitra. He has never met or seen this woman, yet he felt the need to protect her. 'She sounds so delicate and innocent, not to mention she enjoys dancing and art.', he thought to himself.

"Next we have -", Vasuki is interrupted all of a sudden the red-headed woman takes the mic from him. The crowd laughs. 

The woman says, "No need Vausks, I can introduce myself. The name's Draupadi. My hobbies are wrestling and shooting things with my bow and arrow." She hands the mic back to Vasuki and goes back to her spot where she casually stands.

Arjuna looks amused and couldn't help but laugh along with the crowd. 'A woman who takes charge, I like that', he thought. I bet she's feisty!

"Well then, there you have it! Draupadi everyone!", says Vasuki in amusement. There are some wolf whistles from the crowd which makes Draupadi glare at the crowd, causing them to get quiet. She was obviously not one to mess with.

"Next we have, Subhadra!", says Vasuki. He gestures to the woman with black hair wrapped in a bun. She's wearing a short red dress, with black heels. 

"So what can you tell us about yourself, sweetheart?", asks Vasuki.

Subhadra happily replies with a smile, "I enjoy riding horses, and sword fighting in my spare time."

"Sword fighting? That's crazy! I definitely would not want to get on your bad side", Vasuki grimaced. Subhadra laughed along with the crowd.

Nakula's ears perk up. This whole time he had spaced out not really listening to these women were. He didn't really care and was only here because his parents forced him. Hearing that this woman enjoyed riding horses peaked his interest. Most of the women he's met have never liked horses. They would always yell like banshees at the sight of a horse. 'Maybe this Subhadra chick might be the one', he thought. She's down to earth, and doesn't mind getting down and dirty with the horses.

"Is there anything else you would like to tell us about yourself?", asked Vasuki asks Subhadeva.

"Not really."

"Well then there you have it! Subhadea everyone!", exclaims Vasuki. The crowd claps.

"And last but not least, we've got Nikki!", says Vasuki. He gestures to the woman whose black hair is covering her face. The woman looks up at the crowd. The black eyeliner makes her light brown eyes pop out. She's wearing a black dress with black heels.

The mysterious woman just blankly stares at the crowd.

'What would you like your future husband to know?", Vasuki asks Nikki. She does not reply and looks back at Vasyki with a stone cold face. This intimidates Vasuki a little but he shakes it off with a smile and looks back at the crowd.

"A lady of few words I see. Well it looks like Nikki will remain a  mystery for now.", 

Sahadeva tilts his head from under his black hat and smirks. 'This Nikki girl sounds like a challenge. I like it.', he thought to himself.

"And here we have it! Our five bachelorettes! Who do you think each bachelor will choose? Until next time!", says Vasuki.

The crowd claps and roars in excitement.

Bachelor Show Banner created using Canva

Author's Note: This story is continuing from Week 9. In the original story, Arjuna marries all these women (except Nikki) and the bachelor's are all brothers that end up marrying the same wife. I wanted to change that and give each of them their own wife. I also thought I would the story more interesting by making the Pandavas do a blind marriage. Instead of meeting the women and deciding they liked them based on their appearances.

I ran out of bachelorette's so I added Nikki. I did some research on the women (except Nikki) and found a few traits and created their personality based on those few things. I also considered what each of the bachelor's looked for in a wife. I thought I would also share what the bachelor's were thinking since they wouldn't really say much in this story.

It's really different from the original story but I tried to keep their names the same as the original story. I shortened Chitrangada's name to Chitra since it would be easier. In the original story, I felt like Draupadi was pretty vocal about how she felt, especially when her husband gambled her away. She also openly rejected Karna. I gave her a leader type of role in this story because she was so vocal and determined to fight for her equality. Draupadi took the microphone away from the host to show this and gives Vasuki a nickname.  I also gave her red hair to symbolize her short-temper.

Famous Last Words: Good News, Bad News, and More Good News!

So I just got back from my LAST Spring break yesterday. It was really fun. I visited the zoo with my friends and we fed the Lorikeets and we also hung out at the dog park a lot. I also got to make a day trip to Dallas and learned how to use chopsticks at this sushi place. Thankfully, they had some vegetarian sushi.

Later in the week it was national puppy day. My dad was working as usual at the hotel and a found a puppy in one of the rooms. The customer wasn't there but after they got back, they said they were planning to give it away. My mom said yes but then had second thoughts and gave him back. On Sunday she brought it down to babysit and was planning to keep him overnight to see how he and Shiva would interact but the customer had a daughter who wanted to spend the night with the pup first so we gave him back (we hadn't adopted him yet) . Yesterday before I headed back to Norman though, my parents finally decided to keep him so now we have 4 dogs. Shiva really loves his new little brother.

Here is a picture of him.

Today I got an email from the Study Abroad Office, and unfortunately I won't be going to Spain. On the bright side I still have my trip to California and Texas though. I also just found out one of my cousin's got engaged which is really exciting cause that means another wedding is around the corner. I don't think I ever mentioned this but my brother and I are youngest in our whole family so most of my cousins are either married or engaged.

Although I won't be going abroad, at least I have my new puppy. I am so excited to go home this weekend so I can play with my new little nugget.

Week 10 Reading Notes: Karmic Revolution, Part B

Draupadi's Swayamwara

A contest is held to win Draupadi's hand in marriage. All the princes are invited including the Pandavas. The challenge was to string a bow and then hit the eye of a fish with it. Duryodhana tries and fails. Arjun wins.

Karna's Humiliation

Karna begs a Pursharam to be his teacher. He is asked if he is a Kshatiya. He tells him he is also a Brahmin. He is taught the secrets of fighting. Pursharam is sleeping on Karna's lap and Karna gets bit by a scorpion and doesn't make noise. Pursharam notices Karna's bleeding and Pashram gets angry and accuses Karna of lying about his caste and curses him.

He is cursed to forget his skills on the day he needs them the most. 

 Draupadi's Husbands

The brother's call out to Kunti while she's inside her hut and assumes they brought food and carelessly told them to share whatever they brought among themselves and realizes she made a mistake.

A sage reveals that Draupadi had prayed for a husband in her previous life.

Return to Hastinapura

Duryodhana calls his council after finding out the Pandavas married Draupadi. The council advices him to give them part of the kingdom. Drona suggests a messenger go and get them and bring them back to Hastinapura.

Creation of Indraprastha

Arjun and Krishna meet Agni. Agni wants to set the forest on fire to satisfy his hunger. A palace is built and a new kingdom called Indraprastha is created. People from Hastinapura move to the new kingdom.

Narada visits Indraprastha

Narada visits the Pandavas at Krishna's requests to guide them. He meets Draupadi and tells the Pandavas the story of the Asur brothers. Like the Pandavas, the brothers were inseparable until they fell in love with the same woman. They ended up killing each other. Narad advices that they each spend time with her for a year and if one intrudes, then they must be exiled as a consequence.

Arjuna's Exile

Arjun accidently enters the room while one of his brother's is spending time their wife. He was trying to help a brahmin and went to go get his weapon which were in Yudhistra's room. He asked for permission to enter but doesn't wait for a response because he needed to help the brahmin despite knowing he would be exiled. Yudhisthira forgives Arjuna and tells him he doesn't have to go to exile because he was trying to help a brahmin but he insists that he needs to since he broke the rule and that it's his dharma to go. 

Arjun's Journey

• 12 years of exile

He chose dharma over his family. Arjun sets off with a group of brahmins into the forest and meets several women. He also marries and has children with them.


1. Draupadi

He spends his time in the Himalayas and meets Ulpi.

2. Ulpi - Arjun tells her he's married but gives into her temptation.

• Arjun broke his dharma as a husband by being unfaithful.

He wanted to explore and ended up at a kingdom. Arjun stays in a palace and is disguised as a brahmin and meets his third wife.

3. Chitrangada

• Arjun has a child with her and leaves her in the middle of the night.

Arjun reaches Dwarka

Krishna and Arjun 
Image Source: (Wikimedia)

Arjun reunites with Krishna again and catch up. Krishna tells Arjun his experiences were meant to happen. Arjun confesses his attraction to Krishna's sister and asks for permission to marry her. Krishna agrees. Balram planned to marry her so they scheme a plan to kidnap her and marry her.

Krishna and Arjun were not right to do this to Balram or Krishna's sister since Arjun is already married. Balram was also set to marry her already.

Week 10 Reading Notes: Karmic Revolution, Part A

Karna's Quest

Karna wore an enchanted armor. He was found in a basket, floating in a river. He wanted to learn under Drona but he said he only taught a certain caste. He never told Drona that he was a part of the caste Drona taught but didn't want to insult his parents. 

This could be Karna's good karma. He was good to his adoptive parents.

The Kshatriya

Every teacher refused to teach Karna because he was the son of a charioteer. He finally tells a teacher, Parshuram that he is a Brahmin and finally gets a teacher. He gets bit by a scorpion while his teacher sleeps on his lap. He remained silent while his teacher slept. His teacher gets angry and curses him and believes he's not really a Brahmin because he stayed quiet when he got bit.

This makes a great case against Karna or Parshuram. It depends. 

Karna Becomes King 

A tournament is held so the Pandavas and Kauravas can demonstrate what they've learned. Karna shows up and demonstrates his skill and does better than Arjuna. Arjuna feels insulted and Karna doesn't win the tournament. He had to be of royal blood in order to fight the Pandavas and they all laughed at him. They humiliate Karna so Duryodhana declares him king of a kingdom under him in order to fight the Pandavas.

The Pandavas deserved what they got from Karna. 

Drupad Humiliates Drona 

Drona gives the Pandavas a mission after he teached them. Drupad and Drona became good friends and Drupad made a promise to Drona that he would share half his kingdom with him. Drona suffered poverty and takes his offer several years later and is humiliated by Drupad.

Drupad gets his karma through Drona.  Drona can make a case against Drupad for breaking his promise. 

Wax Palace Conspiracy

The Kauravas are jealous of the Pandavas because they had better skilled and got more attention from people. They scheme to get rid of the Pandavas by getting a palace built of wax and setting it on fire with the Pandavas in it. 

Pandavas Escape

The brother escape with Kunti through a tunnel. The builder's living quarters are at the front of the gates so he wouldn't die in the fire. The people and Kauravas believe the Pandavas and Kunti are dead.

Pandavas Escape from Wax Palace
Image Source: India Today

Bhim Kills Bakasur

The Pandavas and Kunti disguise as Brahmins and find shelter in the house of a scholar. Bakasur, an asura (demon) steals his people's food which leaves the people starving. If the people don't give him food he eats them and their family. It's the scholars turn to deliver food so Kunti sends Bhim who eats all the food before he gets to Bakasur and then kills him. 

The Birth of Draupadi

Drona trains the Pandavas to fight Drupad. Drupad performs a fire ceremony and Draupadi and her brother are born. After she is older, her father invites men since she was ready to get married. 

Week 9 Reading Notes: The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Part B

Son of the Sun

Pandu marries Kunti and Madri. Kunti has a secret son that she abandoned. His name was Karna. Durvasa, a sage that everyone was afraid of, gave Kunti a gift, and had Karna by accident.

 Karna was born with silver earrings and armor.

Pandu's Curse

Pandu went hunting in the woods and killed a couple that was intimate. He was cursed to die if he ever got intimate with his wife. Dhritarashtra (the blind one) became king after Pandu leaves.

Sons of Pandu

Pandavas are born. Kunti calls Yama and his given a son that's gifted with calm and patience (Yudhisthira). 

Vayudev (the wind god) is called and is given another son named Bheem who was dropped and he shattered a rock. He would have strength and courage. 

Arjuna , son of Indra, was destined to be a great warrior and archer. 

Kunti summons the Awshin twins (Nakul and Sehdev) for Madri. 

Pandu forgot his curse and died after he got intimate with Madri. Madri jumped into the fire after his death. 

The Pandavas and Kunti leave and go to Hastinapur. 

One Hundred Sons

Gandhari gives birth to a stillborn and sends it to be thrown into the forest but her husband forbids it. He takes the lump and creates 100 sons out it. All the sons were demonic. Duryodhana was also one of the sons that was born. The Pandavas move in with the Kauravas.

Hate and Hurt

The Pandavas and Kauravas have a rivalry. The Pandavas were loved by everyone while the Kauravas were neglected. His uncle, Gandhari's brother, became Duryodhana's mentor because he understood his hatred. 

In part A, Gandhari's brother, hated Gandhari's husband because he thought his sister's life was ruined.  Duryodhana tries to kill Bheem by giving him a sleeping potion in his drink and throwing him into a lake. 

The Magic Potion

Bheem is bit by snakes but instead of dying he wakes up and fights them off. Bheem meets Vasuki, the ruler of the Naglook. He learns they are related and Vasuki calls Bheem his grandsons. He is given a drink that will given him strength to fight anything.

Drona

Bheem survives being drowned and Duryodhana is upset. The Pandavas meet Drona, a brahmin. He becomes their teacher and trains them to become warriors.

Drona Trains the Pandavas

Yudhishthra was a good charioteer. Nakul and Sahadev became talented swordsmen. Bheem's weapon was a mace and he had a lot of strength. Arjun was the best warrior and could wield every weapon and was good at archery. Drona's motive for training them was vengeance. 

Eklavya's Story

Eklavya by Nanda La Bose
Image Source: Dr. Laura Gibbs

The Pandavas meet Eklavya. Eklavya is a skilled archer and hunter. They discover that Drona was his guru. Arjuna feels betrayed because he was not the best archer. Drona is not aware of Eklavya. Drona has refused to teach him because he was of lower caste. Eklavya taught himself archery. Drona demands Eklavya cut his thumb off so Arjuna could be the best.

Week 9 Story: The Pandava Bachelors

Vasuki walks onto the stage and the crowd roars with excitement. "Welcome to the Bachelor!  I'm Vasuki and I will be your host for this show! We have five handsome and charming men looking for wives. Each of them are unique in their own way. So let's bring them out! Come on out boys!", says Vasuki.

Five handsome men walk on to the stage in a line. They are wearing tuxes and smiling.

"First we have Yudhisthira! Yudhisthira was dressed in a white suite with black shoes. Not only is he the oldest of all the men, but he is also a man of virtue. He is also known to be very patient. His demeanor will calm who comes in contact with him. Yudhisthira enjoys poetry, music, and art. He's a man of few words but has a heart of gold. He also enjoys riding horses, and taking long walks on the beach."

"Yudhisthira, is there anything else you'd like to add?", asks Vasuki. His sweeps his black hair and looks at the crowd with his grey eyes and replies in a soft spoken voice, "Um, not really."

"Alright then! Next we have the notorious, Bhima!", announces Vasuki as he presents an intimidating looking young man. He is well-built with a nice tan and is dressed in a black shirt, pants, and combat boots. "If your into bad boys, then he is definitely the one for you. He will go against all odds even if it means breaking the laws to ensure your happiness. He is also quite the athlete. Besides causing havoc in society, he is also an MMA fighter and has recently won the world championship. He is always traveling and needs a lady that likes some adventure. Some of his hobbies are cooking, archery, and riding elephants." Is there anything you'd like to add Bheem?"

"I want a wife that is strong in spirit. She also needs to be loyal.", replies Bheem. "And there we have it! Bheem ladies and gentlemen!", says Vasuki. The crowd goes wild in excitement.

"Next, we have the fierce Arjuna!" Arjuna had black hair, and brown eyes. He is dressed in a black tuxedo. He casually stands on the stage and stares at the crowd with one hand in his pocket. "Arjuna is a master of archery and is also an MMA fighter. He is very competitive and likes a good challenge.", says the host. "Is there any-", Arjuna cuts Vasuki off.

"I don't want a weak wife. I want one who will stand by my side and fight with me.", says Arjuna in finality.

"Okay then...moving on! Here we have the charming Nakula! Nakula is a professional horse jockey. His hobbies are sword fighting and reading. He is known to be wise yet fierce. He is looking for a companion that enjoys riding horses and sword fighting just as much as he does. Would you like to add anything else Nakula?", asked the host.

"Nope", replies Nakula.

"Last but not least, we have the mysterious Sahadeva! He is wearing a black cowboy hat that covers his eyes with a black cape and cowboy boots. "Sahadeva is a professional bull rider but is not your typical cowboy. Unlike most cowboys, he has the gift to heal animals with the touch of his hands. His hobbies are....it looks like you didn't write anything down Sahadeva", Vasuki says as he looks at the mysterious man. Sahadeva smirks, and says "I'd rather surprise my lady."

"A man of mystery, I like it! Here we have it ladies and gentlemen! Our five bachelor's!"

The crowd claps in excitements.

Pandavas Brothers and Draupadi
(Wikipedia)

Author's Note: I retold the story based off the Pandavas birth. Each of their characteristics was explained in the story. I wanted to try a new style of writing since my other ones are mostly dialogues. I  had to do a little research to write this story since the Mahabharata is a little vague about their personalities. Each brother is dressed differently to show their unique personalities. The story doesn't emphasize how different each brother was so I thought I would write something that focuses on each of their personalities.

Vasuki is the host since in the original story, he gave each of the brothers their powers when they were born. I made Yudhisthira more quiet since I thought it would fit his calm and patient personality. I assumed that if he's patient, then he must also be a good listener as well. He is also more charming in this story than the original one.

The original story describes Bhima as being born with strength. I made him a bad boy in this story since he went against the law of the gods. His name means also means"of terrible might" so I figured a bad boy personality would fit him. I described him as well-built since he was born with strength. He says he needs a loyal lady because he doesn't want her to get tired of travelling with him and needs to be able to put up with his antics.

I made Arjuna seem aggressive since throughout the story, he's usually the one killing and fighting demons. He cuts off the host which demonstrates that he is also impatient.

I did not write much about Nakula and Sahadeva since there wasn't much about them throughout the story. However, I made them opposites in this story and did not mention them being related because of how different they are. After doing a little research, I learned that Sahadeva rode bulls and could heal animal, so I thought he would make a great cowboy. He is also mysterious and introverted which is why he didn't share his hobbies in the story like the others did.

Week 9 Reading Notes: Mahabharata Karmia Revolution, Part A

Shantanu the Unfortunate

King Shantanu fell in love with Ganga. Ganga drowned her children to free them from mortality of the eight celestial spirits to break a curse. Ganga left him and took their eighth child with them. 

Devavrata Returns

After 16 years, King Shantanu returns to the Ganga and meets his son who is now grown up. He also sees Ganga again. Shantanu makes his son a prince and then falls in love with a fisherman's daughter. The fisherman wanted his daughter's son to be king instead. Shantanu gets upset so Devavrata gives up the throne which was his birthright since he was the oldest. 

King Shantanu meets his son for the first time
(BP Banerjee)

Devavrata Becomes Bhishma

Devavrata vows to never marry or have children and was called Bhishma, which means "terrible oath". King Shantanu was not happy and felt his kingdom was doomed. He grants Devavrata a wish which allows him to be immune from death.

Desperation of Bhishma

After King Shantanu did, Bhishma raised helped raised his brothers. He kidnaps 3 princesses, Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika,to marry his 3 brothers,

Amba's Ruin

Amba, the oldest, asked to marry someone else and he grants it but gets rejected. Amba tells Bhishma to marry her and gets rejected again. She accuses him of ruining her life and vows for vengeance.

Satyavati's Secret

Bhishma's brother dies and he learns he had another brother. Satyavati had secretly fallen in love with someone and they had a child. He becomes king and has children. 

Sons of Vyasa

Vyasa was ugly so his wives closed their eyes and turned pale. One son was born blind, another was born pale, and one was wise. 

The Blind Bride

Duryodhana is angry that the Pandavas got the throne. Gandhari knew her husband would be blind and gives up her sight by blindfolding her eyes and marrys the blind son. Her brother is angry because he felt like her husband ruined her life and vowed to get revenge.

Week 8 Progress

I am very happy with my progress in the class. There some weeks I am ahead while others I am right on time. I have used several of the extra credit opportunities which has given me tons of points to stay ahead of my assignments. I feel like for the most part I am doing pretty good in this class. Being the night owl that I am, I like to work on my stories and readings at night because that's when I'm more productive.

Although I am doing well, I know I need to slow down a little and take the time to read through the assignments so that I know exactly what to turn in. I have had a few times where I got the assignment done but did it wrong or turned it in wrong because I didn't read the instructions correctly. I also want to be able to manage my time so that I don't fall behind in this class when I have a busy week.

Quote by Rikki Rogers
Image Source: Ordinary Quotes

Week 8 Comments and Feedback

I feel like most of the comments are pretty helpful. I got a lot of comments about how my writing is fun to read cause of the dialogue but is a little vague when it comes to describing the setting and characters thoughts.

I feel like my feedback is average. Some of the strategies I have used are the "what if.." or "I wonder.." like this one blog suggested. I also like to ask a lot of questions to give writers new ideas if they decide to choose that story to write for their project..

I am very happy with the blog comments and how my introduction allows me to get to know people. I also have gotten to know people through their introductions. It definitely made breaking the ice easier.

For the feedback, I think I need to explain how they can change something if there is a spelling error or something and give people ideas of how they can change it.

I think a really important aspect of feedback is honesty because without it, there is not much room to improve and recognize mistakes. I am usually pretty open to feedback but that doesn't mean I will always accept it. I personally appreciate when someone gives me feedback because very few people are willing to give it because they may be uncomfortable or may feel like its not their place to say. I chose the image below for this reason.

(Growth Mindset Resources)

Week 8 Reading and Writing

 What has been your favorite reading so far? Are your reading notes helping you each week with your story post? Have you discovered any new reading/research strategies? Are you happy with your class project? 

I really enjoy reading the stories and writing my notes. It was very useful when I needed to write my stories or needed to refresh what has already happened in the story. I feel like some of my biggest accomplishments in this class is improving my writing and expanding my creativity. It's nice to be able to rewrite the story to my satisfaction but also keep old parts of it. It feels like rewriting history in a way. My favorite reading is the Bhagwat Krishna since I'm familiar with the story and have always been fascinated with Krishna since I was little. I also that it's a comic so I can see what's happening as I read. Sometimes its hard to understand what's happening in some of the stories so I'll read the guide for some help. 

I really like this image because of the colors and because it shows a whole family together. In most of the stories, the families have been separated or the husband has more than one wife. I also thought Ganesha looked really cute as a baby. This picture was from my Topic Brainstorm: So Many Options! blog.

I feel like I just need more time to read and write. Since midterms started, I haven't really had time to read and enjoy the stories since the due dates are so close to each other.