Week 14 Storytelling: The 3 Encounters

The Three Encounters 

Sydney had always been exceptional. They day she was born it was as if the sun shone brighter, the flowers stood taller, and everyone near felt an overwhelming sense of calm and joy. She was so full of life and had an incredible thirst for knowledge. She would spend hours reading before going outside just to swing under the sun’s rays. As a child she talked often about having discussions with the sun, the trees, or even the creek not far from her house. As she grew, she began acquiring human friends. Everywhere she went, Sydney made a new friend ad everyone she talked to could not help but smile and love her. She was a staple in the community as she spent a lot of her free time volunteering at various agencies in her town.

Girl, Child, Kid Smiling by Shaunaleianderson

Found on Pixabay

In high school she continued to excel; she made As in all of her classes, was captain of the student volunteer club, played Belle in her school’s production of “Beauty and the Beast”, was co-captain of the debate team, and held the position of vice president of the student council. She was well-known and liked by not only her teachers, but her peers and she seemed to carry with her an everlasting sunshine. Light just seemed to emanate from all around her, spreading happiness and positivity to anyone near. Though she was highly involved and motivated, she was not seen as strange or different. In fact, Sydney was every bit the normal, albeit more well-behaved than most, teenager. However, Sydney’s sense of normalcy would quickly be changed. On a field trip to a ginormous new art museum, Sydney became profoundly impacted by three artistic encounters.

Kimbell Art Museum

Found on Wikipedia

The first occurred not long into the class’s tour of the museum. They were walking through the Ancient Greece exhibit and was astounded by the detail that had been put into the marble statues that filled the hall. She walked slowly, admiring the fabric on the statues and the authenticity of their bodies. One statue caught her eye. She wasn’t particularly attracted to it, but found she was inexplicably drawn over to a statue of an incredibly thin man lying on his side. He looked ill and Sydney began to feel uncomfortable. She had experienced minor sickness before (colds, allergies, etc.) but had never seen such a sickly form. She tried to look away, but the statue began to move! The man shook and shuddered as he turned to look at her with his cold, marble eyes. “I’ve been sick for so long now. Please end my suffering! Oh what a wretched fate! Please, help me!” he said, reaching out for her with one skeletal hand. Sydney screamed and jumped back drawing immediate attention from the fellow students and her teacher. “Are you okay?” her teacher asked. Sydney looked around; had no one else seen what happened? “I’m fine,” she replied, “I just found a spider on my sleeve.” The teacher sighed and patted her shoulder before the tour guide began speaking again and the group headed off to the Indian Contemporary exhibit.

Abel Dying by Jean-Baptiste Stouf

Found on Wikimedia Commons

Sydney felt odd, but soon her smile returned as she passed by dozens of beautiful paintings. She loved how full of color and life they were! Each painting was so bright and vibrant, but much like the previous exhibit one painting stood out. It was of an old man with hair white as the marble statues she’d just seen. She inched closer and closer to the painting. Something about the man seemed so familiar. Had she seen the painting before? Maybe on the internet? She peered into the old man’s eyes; they seemed so sad, so lack-luster. She’d seen eyes like that before, on her grandfather. Looking into that old man’s eyes was like looking into a shell of a once great man. She reminisced but not for long because suddenly the painting began to speak! In a soft, frail voice the old man said, “You are so young, so beautiful! Life has been good to you, but just wait. You too will grow old and weak. You will no longer be able to do the things you once loved. Old age, what a wretched fate!” Sydney stood there shocked, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. She didn’t know how long she stood there before her friend came over to get her, but it felt like an eternity. “Man, that old man is right! I don’t want to grow old? Why can’t I live ALL of my days in peace and happiness?” Sydney wondered to herself as her class moved on to the Old West exhibit featuring the largest collection of original black and white/sepia photographs in the country.

Little Old Man by Tyrislow

Found on DeviantArt

Sydney enjoyed exploring the exhibit. She could imagine what life was like in the Wild West and loved seeing the clothes from the time-period, but towards the end of the exhibit the art took a turn for the macabre. Behind a maroon velvet curtain, in a mostly dark room hung tons of photographs. Most showed families, standing unsmiling as they waited for their picture to be taken. Some showed children and family pets, but the ones that really got the group's attention were the death photographs. The guide explained that back then it was common practice to photograph the bodies of the deceased because for many of them it was the only picture of that person that existed. The pictures were strange, discomforting and the students fell silent as they were led through the long, dark hallway that housed the death photos. Sadness overcame Sydney as she stared at a photo that reminded her of her grandfather. The man lay on a bed of sorts with his hands crossed and eyes closed. Apart from his frail appearance, he looked relatively peaceful... that is, until he snapped up. He hollered and tore at his hair, "I wasn't ready! I had so much left to do! Why has death taken me so early? Oh what a wretched fate!" With that proclamation, the man fell back into his original position. Sydney was shaken, but more angry than anything.

Unidentified Man, Postmortem

Found on Flickr

He's right! Why does death take us when we are not ready? Why should we have to spend our lives in fear of sickness, old age, or death? It's not fair! There must be a way to deliver humanity from the evil of decay! Sydney tried to focus on the art, but for the rest of the day all she could think about was how cruel fate was. By the time she stepped off of the bus at home, Sydney  had become determined to find a way to change humanity's fate. She would seek knowledge of how to live a life worthy of freedom from the three evils she'd witnessed that day. 

Author's Note:
I read the unit about the Life of Buddha this week and really liked the idea of the three encounters changing his view on life and spurring him on to seek enlightenment. I wanted to keep writing! I enjoyed writing this story so much, but did not want it to be too long. I changed quite a few things, but think it is still pretty easy to see how it relates to the original. 

Week 13 Storytelling: The Legend of the Waterfall

Khasi Ghost Stories

The Legend of the Waterfall 

Once there was a woman Ka Likai, average in most ways, but set apart by the series of terrible events that defined her life and continue to precede her name long after her death. Her story begins in a modest home where she lived happily with her husband and was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her first child. The happy couple filled was filled with excitement and their love grew just as quickly as their baby did. They fell more in love every day and were genuinely pleased with their lives. Sure, they weren’t rich, but they were happy and they were about to receive the greatest gift of all.

Finally the day came and Ka Likai went into labor. She held herself well, not panicking and continuing to walk around the house while focusing on her breathing and rubbing her belly. Her husband followed closely behind, one hand on her shoulder the other holding her hand. He stayed by her side for the entire 8 hours of labor as her contractions increased in frequency and strength. He watched his wife’s pain grow but was incredibly proud of how strong she was and how lucky he was to have her. She delivered a beautiful baby girl and he helped her clean their new child up. The new parents cried together and held the baby tight. Neither had ever been happier and everything seemed to be going so incredibly well. 

Unfortunately, this happiness was short-lived. 2 months after the birth of their daughter, tragedy struck and the husband grew very ill. He fought, but was simply not able to overcome the illness and died leaving his wife and daughter behind. Ka Likai struggled greatly to stay strong for her daughter under the crippling sadness of losing her husband. She got a second job and worked long hours day and night with her baby swaddled on her back but it wasn’t enough. She could not support them. 

Ka Likai spent many hours clutching her daughter and crying. How was she going to get through this? After lots of contemplation, she finally came to the conclusion that she would have to marry again. She did not want to, but she would do anything to make sure her daughter is okay. She found a husband and they were married, but it wasn’t long before she came to realize that he was a cruel and jealous man. He treated her with contempt, but most of his anger was directed at her daughter. He hated how Ka Likai paid so much attention to her daughter and so little to him. His jealousy was all-consuming and he vowed to change his situation.

He quit working, forcing Ka Likai to work even more and giving him plenty of time to stay home with his step-daughter. Ka Likai thought this would be a perfect opportunity to bond, and hoped it would diffuse some of the tension between her husband and daughter. However, his time spent with the young girl was spent bullying and abusing her. Each day his abuse got worse until one day he found out that the only reason his wife married him was to take care of her daughter. He was furious and decided that abusing the girl simply wasn’t enough to get back at his foolish wife. 

So, he called the girl into the kitchen and stabbed her repeatedly, killing her viciously before chopping her up and cooking the pieces. When his wife came home, he had the table set and he greeted her at the door with a smile and a hug. Ka Likai had no idea what had gotten into him, but liked the change in his attitude. She was briefly concerned when her daughter didn’t come bounding up to the door, but he told her that he had sent her to a friend’s house so they could have some time alone. She accepted his answer and sat down. Together they ate and the meal seemed to be going really well until it came to the end and she reached into the dessert basket and felt something strange. “What’s this?” she wondered aloud as she pulled out the mystery object from the basket. 

To her horror it was her daughter’s severed hand! She screamed and demanded to know what was going on. Her husband broke down and confessed everything. Ka Likai’s eyes grew wide with horror and she screamed before bawling into her hands. She was beside herself with grief and proceeded to run out the front door, her husband chasing after behind her. She ran, tears streaming down her face, to the edge of the great waterfall. She never stopped, never slowed down, and shot off the edge. She fell fast and landed with a great slap followed by silence. 

She was gone, but her legend endured. It is said that even today if you stand near the falls and listen really carefully you can still hear her agonizing cries and moans. No one has forgotten Ka Likai and her story serves as a cautionary tale for women contemplating remarrying. 

Author's Note:

I chose this story over the others in the Khasi Folktales unit because it was a cool and creepy story behind the naming of a natural feature. It kept with last week's theme of messed up stories. Plus, I thought it was interesting that people use this tale as a way to discourage widows from remarrying. It definitely highlights cultural differences between the Khasi and my own western values and such. Also, I love ghost tales. I am a big fan of ghost adventures and other ghost shows or stories and have been on multiple ghost-hunting adventures of my own with my family and friends. This week's storytelling reflects my macabre interests and fascination with circumstances and cultural practices surrounding death. It is a little long, but I was just having a lot of fun writing it. I'm hoping I broke it up enough to keep it from seeming long or from boring readers. 

Here's a link to the original story: The Leap of Ka Likai

Image Information:

1. Waterfall at Pua’a Ka’a State Wayside Park

Photo by Kan, found on Kan Walk Will Travel

2. Baby, Child, Daughter, Family, Girl, Happy

Public domain, found on Pixabay

3. Mourning of the Angel

Photo by Phospheros, found on Flickr

4. Esposas de Matrimonio

Uploaded by Hohum, found on Wikipedia

5. People, Knife, Stabbing, Stab, Kill, Murder, Man

Public domain, found on Pixabay

6. Skin

Photo by SplitShire, found on Pixabay

Storyteling Week 12: The Boy with Seven Mothers

Oh hey! Hi! So, today I’m going to tell you a little story…
Actually, it’s a pretty big story. In fact, it’s my story.

Myself and my wife 

My name is Raj and I am the king of Bengaldan. I live a wonderful life in a golden palace with my seven mothers, my beautiful queen Reina, and our twin sons. We are truly blessed, but for such a big family living such a lavish life, my story is not all glitter and gold. In fact, let’s just start from the beginning, the time in my life most similar to how it is now, a time before I existed.
30 years ago in this very same palace there lived a king and his seven lovely queens. They spent much time laughing but behind those glistening eyes and toothy smiles sat heartache because you see, all seven of the queens were unable to conceive. They tried and tried, but not one of the wives became pregnant. The king became frustrated and finally sought out the help of an old medicine man. The man told my father of a tree deep in the woods where seven magic mangoes hung. He said that if my father himself went and retrieved those mangoes then gave them to his wives, they would produce children. The king felt like it was a bit of a long-shot, but was willing to try just about anything. He left immediately and soon returned with the mangoes which his wives all bit into eagerly, hoping desperately for the old man’s words to be true.

Sure enough it wasn't long afterward that all of the queens discovered they were with child! The king could not believe his luck! So many years of trying and heartbreak and finally he was not going to have one, but SEVEN children! He thanked the gods and for weeks his giddiness filled the castle, spilling over into the streets and infecting the citizens with his excitement and joy. Things really seemed to be going great until one day my father was out hunting and he came across the most beautiful young maiden he’d ever seen. She was stunning and he could not take his eyes off of her. He brought her home with him and they were wed. She was immediately accepted into the family even though the extra attention she garnered did create some envy within the other queens. They were jealous of his affection for her, but they grew to dislike her even more and could not pinpoint why. Something just wasn't right.

It wasn't long after their marriage that the king fell completely underneath his new bride’s spell. He loved her so much and would do anything for her… literally. He was at her every beckon call. He worshiped the ground she walked on and did not hide that he loved her more than all of the other brides.

She was his Lakshmi, his Goddess of Love

One day while lavishing her with affection the newest queen asked of the king, “Do you truly love me? More than the others?”

“Of course my queen, more than any other woman in the universe! My love for you is ever-growing!”

“If that is true,” she said, “Then prove it! Blind all of them and have them destroyed! If you truly love me more, then take me as your one true queen.”

The king was conflicted, but ultimately just as blind as his wives would be. He agreed and the other wives were grabbed and thrown down into the cellar where their eyes were ripped out of their heads and their shaking bodies thrown back onto the ground. They awaited their executioner, but when he came, he could not go through with it. He was merciful, and he hid them away. He kept them safe and alive, but they lived a miserable existence. Eventually, he had to cut their rations because hiding them was proving costly. They began to starve, their minds growing mad with desperation.

The seven queens were all blinded, their eyes removed. 

Then one day, the oldest wife gave birth to her child, a son. She looked at him almost lovingly at first, but then decided they should kill the infant and eat him or face starvation. The other queens agreed and each took their portion of the child and ate it all up, each that is except for the youngest queen who set her portion aside and curled up by herself. Soon after the second wife had her child and it too was consumed like the first. This pattern continued until the only queen left to give birth was the youngest. Her labor was long and difficult, but when the baby arrived the queen was beside herself with joy. She immediately loved the child and could not bear the thought of killing him. So, when the other queens demanded she share her meal, she gave her all of her left over portions. They were not fooled though and she had to explain that she wished to nurse and raise the child. Surprisingly, the other queens were excited and all seven raised the child as their own.

She couldn't imagine harming her newborn baby

I grew up and through some strange happenings (a demon consuming the entire palace staff) I became the king’s only real servant. I took care of everything and protected him; I knew he was my father even if he didn't. When the townsfolk came to him scared and upset, speaking of a demon who came at night and gobbled them up, I immediately knew it was the queen and I revealed her for a fake, slaying her like the demon she is and winning a place in the palace for myself and my mothers. Things just seemed to fall into place after that, and we've never looked back.

Author’s Note:
I really liked this story because it reminded me of the old Grimm’s fairy tales. It was grim and dark. I liked the strange, macabre notion of queens eating their own children to survive because it was SO DIFFERENT to what we’d been reading. I obviously don’t like the idea of eating children, but the weird story appealed to me. I wrote it from first and third person which I hope doesn't make it hard to understand. I just wanted to revisit this strange story which you can read on Laura Gibbs' blog.

Image Information:

1. Marriage of H.H Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV and Rana Prathap Kumari of Kathiawar

By: Raja Ravi Varma, found on Wikipedia

2. Mango, posted by Sarangib

Found on Pixabay

3. Goddess Lakshmi by Raja Ravi Varma

Found on Wikimedia Commons

4. Eye Scream Scoop by Sarah

Found on Flickr

5. Foot by Inspiredimages

Found on Pixabay

Storytelling for Week 5: Mother and Son

Garuda's Story as Told on Facebook 

Belur Garuda - Photo by Philip Larson(2009)

Obtained through Wikimedia Commons

Vinata, Status 1

Today, my husband gave me and Kadru each a seed that he said would bless us with sons! I'm so incredibly excited! -Eating Seeds w/ Kadru

-Vinata adds new life event to her timeline: guess who's pregnant!-

-Karuda adds new life event to her timeline: finally pregnant!-

Vinata, Status 2

Today Karuda gave birth to 1,000 eggs! I cannot believe it! I hope I will have lots of beautiful sons...

Vinata, Status 3

Today I laid 2 eggs. I was saddened by the small amount, but goodness! I'm in love with them  already! 

Vinata, Status 4

Okay, I know I should be happy for Karuda, but it's been 500 years and all of her eggs have hatched and grown into baby Nagas and neither of mine have even twitched! What should I do?

Vinata, Status 5

I got impatient... I opened up one of my eggs.. I know! I know! But I couldn't resist! Do you know what happened? I found my beautiful son, not completely developed but stunning and strong already and he told me not to open the other egg or mess with it for another 500 years. That's not even the weird part.. immediately afterward he flew up into the sky and became the charioteer for Surya the sun! I'm so proud of my little Aruna! -Feeling emotional

Vinata, Status 6

Ugh! Karuda thinks sooo much better than me just because she has more sons! We made a bet today and I lost :( now I have to be Karuda's slave forever! I just know she cheated! Oh what have I done? -Feeling defeated

Vinata, Status 7

Today my second son was FINALLY born! Even though i'm doomed to slavery, I love that my son Garuda is finally with me. He is the most beautiful giant eagle man! Seeing his face makes this awful labor a little more bearable, though I wish he didn't have to see me like this. -Feeling peaceful

-Garuda joins Facebook -

Garuda, Entry 1

I'm getting really concerned about Mom... I think we might need to talk, because she is the only one around here who ever does anything around the house and Karuda and her sons just taunt her and live in luxury!

Garuda, Entry 2

So, as it turns out Karuda tricked my mom into losing a bet and now she's keeping her as her slave! It's absolutely unacceptable! I tried to buy Mom's freedom, but Karuda said no! She will only exchange Mom's freedom if I bring her the cup of amrita from Indra's palace so that she may become immortal. Geez. -Feeling pissed off 

Garuda, Entry 3

Well, finally done dealing with my awkward dad. Now on to Indra's heaven!

Garuda, Entry 4

So, I asked Indra if I could borrow his amrita but he totally freaked out and called all of his guards and fighters on me! What a jerk! At least he didn't know what I can do... I shrunk down and snuck into Indra's room and snagged the whole cup! Haha, I cannot wait to free Mom! -Feeling confident at Indra's Heaven

Garuda, Entry 5

I'm almost home, wish me luck! 

Garuda, Entry 6

Check this out everyone! While I was flying home Narayana visited me and granted me the gift of immortality! I have now pledged to be Narayana's mount whenever needed! -Feeling blessed

-Garuda and Narayana are in a complicated relationship-

-Vinata likes this-

Garuda, Entry 7

Indra tried to kill me! Thank Brahma for Narayana's gift; instead of the lightning bolt killing me, it gave me knowledge of all that ever was, is, and will be! It's okay though, Indra and I talked it out and he's on my team now. -Feeling enlightened

Garuda, Entry 8

Great news everybody! I returned home to Karuda and her goons lazily lounging about and approached with the amrita in hand. Karuda's mouth practically watered at the sight and she rushed towards me. She ordered me to give it to her, but I got clever and reminded her that this amrita was sacred and that she should probably wash her hands before taking from the cup. She agreed foolishly and set my mother free before darting to the bathroom. Just then, Indra swooped in and grabbed the cup before dashing out the door. - Feeling awesome with Vinata

-Vinata likes this-

Vinata, Entry 8

Finally I am free to live my life in happiness with my husband and my two wonderful sons! I love you guys! -Feeling thankful 

Author's Note:
I chose to tell Garuda's story because it was fun and ended on a positive note. I also love how strong the bond is between Garuda and Vinata even though he has barely gotten to truly know his mother. As for the style, I just kind of wanted to try something new so I gave the Facebook format a try. I think it makes the story easier to read because it is broken up, informal, and the entries are short, sweet, and to-the-point. The original story is more in-depth and can be found in William Buck's 1976 retelling of the Ramayana, Ramayana: King Rama's Way. 

Storytelling for Week 4: Perception

It's All About Perception

The Story of Guha

Their arrival was sudden. Chariots, wagons, and carts pulled by hoofed beasts, snorting and stamping their disapproval at the dogs weaving between their legs and throughout the bustling caravan. The men carried familiar flags, those of Ayodhya and changed or sang praises of Shiva as they made their way further and further into my forest. I watched them from the trees at first, observing and wondering what their arrival might bring. The men and their companions slowed to a stop and immediately began setting up camp. They raised fancy tents, lit fires, tied off their beasts, and prepared gifts to be given as sacrifices to Shiva.

I watched, growing concerned about the intentions of my unexpected guests. Then, they unveiled a statue which upon further investigation turned out to depict Shiva. They made various sacrifices and offerings before returning to camp. I followed them back and revealed myself, offering my welcome and good will. I received them graciously, but asked why they had come. They were brahmanas who'd been sent by Vasishtha to "reform"  me and my people by teaching us to worship the glory of Shiva. I remained courteous and gave them many gifts, but made sure to inform them that I only worship ONE god, and that god is a tree.

Shiva Statue Temple Murdeshwara (2008)

Found on Wikipedia

Even after I explained my views, the brahmanas remained persistent; they bombarded me day after day with stories of the strength, power, and glory of Shiva. I couldn't help but get... frustrated. So, to work out some of that tension, every night after hunting I would visit the statue and give it a good, solid kick. I endured the brahmana's and their mission to "reform" me for what seemed like forever. The forest changed from one season to the next and all was the same: hunting, drinking, avoiding the brahmanas, and kicking Shiva. Things did change though when the rains came and flooded my beautiful forest. Ganga rose up and soaked the ground, rising higher and higher until it was up to my waist! The brahmanas fled to higher ground, leaving the statue of Shiva alone and half underwater for days at a time.

They may have abandoned their deity, but I wasn't going to. No matter what, rain or clear skies, high waters or relatively low waters I was going to kick that statue. I waded in every night in order to kick that statue. It was a daily ritual that I looked forward to and one day when I was unable to approach the statue directly due to a pack of wolves surrounding it, I remained dedicated to my cause. I climbed the closest tree to the statue and waited for my chance to get that kick. I waited all night, growing hungry and cold, but the wolves remained. I tried to eat some green nuts but they were awfully bitter! So, instead I sat back and tried to get comfortable because it seemed like I was looking forward to a long night. I shivered from the cold, my body violently shaking so hard that leaves, dew, and bitter green nuts fell from the tree to rain down on the statue. This continued throughout the night with me not getting any sleep and not being able to get down.

Finally, at dawn, my men came searching for me and scared off the wolves. I climbed down slowly, angry that I had not been able to complete my nightly ritual of kicking Shiva. My anger grew and became directed at the brahmanas. After all, I wouldn't have gone through all of this if it weren't for those idiots! I rushed their caravan, my men screaming and howling. The brahmanas were terrified and ran like children back to the skirt of their mother. We chased them all the way back to Ayodhya where I met King Dasaratha and was crowned an official king!

After my official crowning, we marched back to my forest where life went on as it had before the brahmanas arrived. We resumed our hunts and ran joyfully through the forest until one afternoon when I got really sick. I couldn't move. My skin felt like it was on fire and being pricked by thousands of small needles at the same time. Sweat poured down my face and my eyes sunk in creating deep, dark circles around them and giving my face a hauntingly skeletal appearance. I couldn't eat or drink and was not getting any better. Then, the terrible fever consumed me. I died and not long after did Yuma's messengers come to retrieve my soul. However, their efforts were thwarted by a small, mean-looking dwarf (who turned out to be Nandin, guardian of the wild). He told them to stop by order of Shiva and so they did.

I looked to the dwarf, entirely bewildered. Why would Shiva send him for me? Have I offended him? Fear crept up in my throat as I accompanied Nandin to Earth. We landed on the soft grass and just seconds later I was blinded by a white light. When it subsided, I looked around and found that Nandin had taken his true form, that of a white humpy bull and was advancing towards me. I backed up slowly as the great white bull took me into his jaws and carried me off. He delivered me to Shiva, but before I could ask any questions or figure anything out, Yama appeared. He asked Shiva why he had taken my soul (a sinner's soul) and left an empty place in hell. Shiva simply replied that I was the one person who was truly devoted to saluting him. He recalled the night I spent in the tree saying that I had watched over him all night without sleep and gave him the food that I needed. He also said that I had showered him with water and given him ornaments of leaves to appease him. However, the most telling part to Shiva of my devotion was that I drove out the men who were pretending to love him. I showed him who was truly devoted.

Yama accepts this answer and returns to his kingdom, leaving me in total awe with Shiva's interpretation of my misfortune. I almost went to correct the god, and reveal my true intentions but decided against it. Instead, I took the blessings of Shiva and was incredibly grateful when Shiva instructed Nandin to return me to my body. I guess every situation really does have multiple sides...


Author's Note:
I chose this story because it involves shape-shifting which I plan to do my storybook about. Plus, Guha seemed like a lively, charismatic character and his story was pretty funny. I chose to do it from Guha's point of view just to mix things up and try to get into the character's head. I didn't change much from the original story, just added details and obviously changed the narrator/storytelling style.

Storytelling for Week 3: Hope

Hope 

Once upon a time there was a beautiful woman named Sita. She was smart, loyal, and liked by all who met her. She lived a simple life in the forest, going on adventures with her husband Rama and his brother Lakshmana. The three were on an important mission to rid the forest of the evil asuras who terrorized the holy men who lived there.

Rama in the Forest

The lord Rama portrayed as exile in the forest, accompanied by his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana

Found on Wikipedia

One day, while Rama was away and Lakshmana was on his way to help him, Sita was abducted by the evil ten-headed Ravana. He snatched her up and away they sailed in his chariot. Rama searched and searched for his beautiful bride, becoming more and more distressed the longer they were apart. 

Ravana approaches Sita

Painting by Nina Paley

Found on her website www.ninapaley.com

After searching and searching not only by himself, but with the armies assembled by Soorpanka and Hanuman; their search however was not yielding any results. Then, one day he meets a badly burned and charred bird named Sampathi who, with the simple mention of Rama’s name is restored to healthy and beautiful glory. He is Jatayu’s brother and at hearing of the news of his brother’s death, he decides to leave and take his place as the new ruler. However, before he leaves, he tells Rama that he saw where the evil Ravana took Sita.

“Look to the south, across the ocean. There, in Lanka, you will find your Sita.” He said before taking flight.

Immediately Rama looks to Hanuman who has been by his side for the search. He asks him to go forth and find his bride. Hanuman is, after all, a shape-shifter who could cross the ocean in a single step. After some encouragement, Hanuman agrees. He grows and grows, becoming taller than any tree and takes one big step over the ocean, landing him in Lanka. 

Hanuman

Retrieved from Pixabay

Han Hanuman searches, walking all over Lanka before arriving in Asoka Vana. Here, he finds Sita surrounded by evil rakshasa women. Ravana stands in front of her, trying to convince her to be his main mistress. He finds her incredibly beautiful and tries to persuade her with tales of power and with his many accolades. She is not impressed and refuses to betray Rama. Ravana becomes furious  and storms off, ordering the rakshasas to terrorize Sita until her will breaks and she realizes the mistake she’s making by choosing Rama. 

Ravana, Sita, Hanuman 

by: Harish Johari

found on Sanatan Society

Hanuman watches, hidden in the trees as the rakshasas throw themselves at Sita, frightening her. Sita cries out, and Hanuman fights his urge to run to her as she is tormented by the demon women. The torture goes on for what seems like forever, but finally the rakshasas retreat, leaving Sita curled up on the ground crying and pleading to the gods for salvation. She begs Rama to save her, losing hope that he will ever find her. She feels like there's no way out; she refuses to betray Rama and be with Ravana, but if Rama never finds her she will have to live the rest of her life in misery until Ravana finally decides to kill her. 

Sita comes to the conclusion that the only way to escape is death. Hanuman panics, and jumps out of the trees shouting, "No Sita! Rama is alive and near!" 

Hanuman's Visit

Retreived from Wikipedia

Sita's face lit up when Hanuman approached, but was skeptical of Rama's impending arrival. "How can I be sure that he is alive? Oh Rama!" Sita asked, pleading with Hanuman to prove his words were true. Hanuman simply told her to trust him and produced for her a ring. Sita squealed with happiness, a smile lighting up her beautiful face. It was Rama's ring!

"Oh Hanuman! He IS alive! When shall I expect him?" 

"Very soon, very soon Sita; but for now I must ask you not to harm yourself and to be patient. Rama will be here to rescue you and vanquish Ravana imminently."

With that, Hanuman turned to leave, but Sita stopped him. She grabbed his hand, opened it, and placed a small piece of jewelry that she'd had hidden in her sari. "Here," she said, "Give this to Rama, and please tell him to hurry!" Hanuman agreed and took leave. He couldn't believe such a small thing could give Sita so much hope.

 

On his way back to Rama's camp Hanuman stopped and suddenly grew in size again. He turned around, and destroyed Asoka Vana with one large stomp. Immediately, Ravana's minions charged Hanuman who let them take him captive. They grabbed Hanuman and rushed him to the capital where Ravana awaited his arrival. 

Ravana Statue by Indi Samarajiva 

Found on Flickr

Hanuman arrived before Ravana, his 10 heads and fearsome expression made Hanuman nervous but he felt strong in his convictions and stepped forward. He pleaded with Ravana to reconsider and let Sita go. "If you beg for forgiveness, i'm sure Rama will be merciful!" He said, hoping Ravana would change his mind, but slowly realizing there was no way to get around hi stubbornness. Ravana ordered Hanuman to be executed, but was convinced by his brother not to stoop so low as to murder a messenger. 

Hanuman was free to go, but he had one last thing to do before he left...

Hanuman Burns Lanka 

By: Fred Miller

Taken from "Sita Sings the Blues" by Nina Paley

Found on Flickr

Hanuman set fire to his tail and ran through the capital! Soon, all of the buildings were ablaze and Hanuman strolled away, pleased with himself and prepared to reunite with Rama against the evil Ravana. 

Author's Note:

This story is based on chapter 8 from The Ramayana titled "Memento from Rama." In this chapter, Hanuman wanders through Lanka before arriving at Asoka Vana where he finds Sita surrounded by evil Rakshasa women. He watches as Ravana (her captor) approaches and continues to try to convince her to become his main mistress, but Sita is loyal to Rama and has been terrorized by Ravana; she refuses to bend to Ravana's will and in response, he orders the Rakshasas to torment her until she breaks. Hanuman looks on as the demons make Sita's life hell before leaving her in tears and tatters, pleading with the gods. She cries and in her hysteria decides to take her own life. With this, Hanuman reveals himself to Sita, stopping her from giving up by giving her Rama's ring, a memento to help her make it until Rama can save her. This renews Sita's hope and she pulls out a piece of jewelry that she'd had hidden in her scrap of sari to give to Rama. Hanuman takes this and leaves, but as he does so he grows giant again and destroys Asoka Vana. He allows himself to be captured and taken to Ravana where he gives him another chance to let Sita go and beg for forgiveness from Rama or face destruction. Ravana orders that Hanuman be killed, but his brother steps in an reminds Ravana that it is improper to kill a messenger, saving Hanuman's life. Hanuman then sets Ravana's precious capital on fire and returns to Rama to deliver news on Sita's situation. In my version I decided to focus on hope and how important it is in bad situations while also sticking with the hero/damsel in distress element of the original story. I wanted to tell it like a fairy tale but with a twist because the Ramayana is an important story in India much like fairy tales are important in the US because they teach us about the world and lessons about things such as friendship, trust, humility, hope, etc. 

Bibliography:

Naryan, R.K. (1972) The Ramayana 

Storytelling for Week 2: The Stone Maiden

The Stone Maiden

One wonderful day while Brahma rested, watching over the Earth, a thought occurred to the great creator. He smiled as this idea, this plan swirled through his mind tickling him and growing to become a grand scheme. “Yes!” He exclaimed, “She shall be as beautiful as the sun shining down upon the Ganges!” With that, Brahma went to work collecting the ingredients necessary to create a true beauty. His hand created spirals in the air as his ingredients began to swirl and glow. Slowly they began to take the shape of a woman. Brahma’s excitement grew as he watched the sparkling figure form before him. Then, with a flash of blinding light, she was completed.

Brahma looked down at his creation with great pride. She was a vision! Her every breath brought with it grace and beauty. He looked down into those stunning brown orbs that shone with flecks of gold and said, “Ahalya, you shall be called Ahalya.” At that she smiled, and the sun shone brighter. Brahma laughed a hearty laugh that sounded like wisdom, power, kindness, and masculinity. He sent for the wise Sage Gautama with whom he planned to leave his delicate creation to be brought up and taught the ways of the world. It was during this time that the God Indra, caught sight of the lovely Ahalya. He was immediately ensnared by her beauty and vowed to have her as his own. Brahma ignored Indra and Ahalya was sent off to live with the Sage who raised her until she was old enough to return to her creator.

After many years of watch Ahalya grow and mature into a gracious young woman, Brahma greeted her return with an all-consuming hug and a smile that could light the darkest dungeon. He hugged her and spun her around, admiring his work close-up. “My dear,” he said, holding Ahalya’s hand, “I am so ecstatic to see the glorious creature you have grown up to be. You have done well and I have Gautama to thank for that.” He looked over to the sage before turning away from Ahalya to shake his hand. Brahma was impressed with the sage and his purity; not once did an unclean thought slither through the sage’s mind as he raised this incredibly attractive young being. Because of this purity, Brahma decided that the sage alone was worthy of his daughter’s hand and as such, presented her to him.  The two were wed with the blessings of Brahma and many other gods in a divine ceremony. They lived a life of bliss together. Ahalya had grown up with the sage and as such knew him well; she was a great wife to him and him a loving husband to her.

The two went on their daily routine day in and day out not realizing they were being watched.  You see, unbeknownst to the sage and his wife, Indra (the God whose obsession with Ahalya had only worsened by her marriage to Gautama) had been sneaking up to the sage’s ashram every day to behold the beauty of Ahalya. How did he do this without being caught? Well, Indra was known to be a great shape-shifter who used his gift to spy on the woman every day, his infatuation growing with each passing sunset. Then, one day, the temptation became too much.

Indra knew that every morning the sage would leave to go bathe in the river and pray, so one morning the crafty god took the form of a rooster and woke the sage who, believing the time to be the same as always, took his leave to perform his morning rituals. Not soon after he had gone did Indra take the form of the sage and stroll into Gautama’s ashram and into the arms of the unsuspecting Ahalya. She gave herself to him, and the two made love though for Ahalya, something didn’t seem quite right. Her wildest fears could not have conjured up the truth for when the sage returned early (sensing a disturbance in his routine) and found the two the truth was revealed. Indra quickly changed from the shape of the sage to that of a cat, hoping to slip away using the cat’s natural quietness and agility. Ahalya screamed and grabbed for something to cover up with, humiliation and shame taking over her.

The sage looked quickly from his wife to the cat; he was not fooled. Indra in his cat form could not get away before Gautama changed his existence forever. With a few simple words, the sage made the outside of the god reflect his inner thoughts. Suddenly, Indra’s skin erupted with a thousand female organs, the object of his constant obsessions. Indra fled, fleeing into a life of hiding in the shadows, unable to reveal his form to anyone out of respect and decency. 

With Indra taken care of, the sage's attention turned to Ahalya. "Please!" she pleaded, "I didn't know!" But with one quick gesture, Ahalya was silenced. "You have committed a sin of the flesh, regardless of your intent or awareness, you must be punished" the sage said before telling her, "Your beautiful flesh shall become your tomb. Your punishment shall be to watch the world go by, unable to move or talk, thinking about your indiscretion until Rama one day crosses your path. Then, and only then, will you return to your human state and rejoin the world, and hopefully me." With that, the sage turned her into an odd, smooth shaped stone to await the arrival of the one named Rama. 

Ahalya Leaning on a Tree

Chromolithograph by R. Varma (1896)

Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons

Author's Note:

This short story is a retelling of an excerpt from The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan titled "Ahalya's Story." This excerpt tells the story of Ahalya's creation as well as her entombment. It describes how Brahma created her out of the most beautiful ingredients and how the Sage Gautama took her in and raised her before taking her as his wife. It also tells of the jealousy, attraction, and obsession felt by Indra the god who tricks her into having sex with him when he is in the form of the sage. The two are discovered and as punishment, Indra is covered in 1,000 vaginae (later, when the sage is no longer mad, he turns these into eyes-hence Indra being known as the thousand eye god). Ahalya's punishment is to be trapped in a stone until a royal descendant named Rama crosses her path. It was an interesting story, but I liked that when she regained her human form in the end, Rama told her not to dwell on her past, but to try to move on and make a positive future. I personally believe that it is essential to not focus on the past, no matter how bleak, but to look on toward the future with hope. You have to create your own bliss. 

Bibliography:

Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana

Storytelling for Week 1: The Cunning Cat and Common Sense Fox

There were once two pals who were travelling companions. They found snacks, small meals to maintain sustenance but mostly passed their time talking. They talked for quite some time before the discussion turned into an argument; and as arguments often do when between people who know each other, theirs became personal.

The fox spouted off to the cat, teasing him. "I bet you find yourself to be pretty smart, huh? Thinking you're always right, thinking you always know the best way to do something."

The cat admitted that he did not have many tricks. In fact, he only had one; but that one trick was extremely valuable, more so than any of the fox's tricks. Quality over quantity, he stressed.

The fox, opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it. Both of their ears perked up; they'd both heard the sound of approaching hunters. Their horns rang out and their dogs' barks carried through the trees and across the land.

Instinctively, the cat jumped up into the tree and vanished, hidden among the leaves and branches.

The Fox and the Cat by Winceslaus Hollar

Retrieved from Wikimedia

From deep within the foliage, the fox heard the cat say, "Here is my trick! Show me yours!"

The fox's head twitched and his eyes moved side-to-side as he thought through his multitudes of escape plans. He had so many! The fox ran, trying to decide which plan to take and buying some time as the hounds approached, biting at his paws.

He tried many things: diving into random burrows, taking sharp turns, doubling back, and running as fast as he could- but these were simply not enough. The hounds quickly caught up to and overtook the fox, quieting his bragging and teasing.

In the end, the cat's common sense won him not only the argument, but his life. The fox's tricks and supposed cunning were too much and not enough at the same time and he paid the ultimate price.

Author's Note
This story is based off of the fable by Aesop titled "The Cat and the Fox" which can be found in the book Aesop for Children, illustrated by Milo Winter (1919). The fable tells the short tale of a cat and a fox. The cat relies on his instinct, whereas the fox hatches schemes, makes plans, and over-prepares while ignoring his basic instincts. He acts as though for something to be good or right, it must be complicated and new. However, when the two must run from a pack of hounds, the fox cannot make a decision on which plan to choose and ends up being hunted down by the hounds. The fable ends simply with the following words:

"Common sense is always worth more than cunning."

I like this story because I agree that simple is sometimes the best option, and one should always listen to their instincts or "go with their gut."