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Showing posts from April, 2021

Reading Notes: Epified - Mahabharata Part E

 Ep 36 - Subhadra Wins Over Draupadi     Arjun races towards Indraprasth after abducting Subhadra. Balram realized it was Arjun and he was angry. He ordered his army to get ready to go to Indraprasth and destroy the Pandavas. Krishna stopped him and convinced him not to. Balram changed his mind after Krishna told him that Subhadra and Arjun loved each other. Arjun arrived and his brothers were filled with joy. Arjun went to greet Draupadi but she gave him the cold shoulder. Draupadi ended up liking Subhadra. She consented to her marriage to Arjun. Marriage preparations began.  Ep 37 - Birth of Abhimanyu     Everyone in the town attended the wedding. Subhadra announced that she was pregnant with Arjun's baby. Arjun would take Subhadra on walks during her pregnancy. He would tell her stories of being in battle and all of his accomplishments. The unborn child was listening as well. He once was telling her about the procedure for entering and escaping the Chakravyuh. Before he could ge

Reading Notes: Epified - Mahabharata Part D

 Notes for Epified Mahabharata  Ep 31 - Creation of Indraprastha     Khandavaprasth was given to the Pandavas and the land was barren. The land which was forested was cursed by Indra, only inhabited by Asurs, Rakshas, and Nagas. Yudhishthir decided to move into  Khandavaprasth since he did not want war.          The Pandavas arrived at  Khandavaprasth and found the wasteland. Krishna helped design a new kingdom for them. Arjun and Krishna met Agni. Agni wanted to burn down the forest.     A new glorious city was constructed. The Pandavas named it  Indraprastha because it resembled Indra's city.  Ep 32  - Narad visits Indraprastha     On Krishna's way back to the Pandavas, he met Narad and asked him to visit the new city. Narad decided to go. The Pandavas wanted his guidance in the administration of the kingdom. They also introduced him to Draupadi. Narad's face was clearly worried. He was reminded of the story of the Asura brothers.  One of the Pandava twins, probably Sahad

Reading Notes: Epified - Mahabharata Part C

 Notes for Epified Mahabharata Part C Ep 18 - Karna lived a humble life with his parents. He believed that he was destined for great things. He wore enchanted armor. One day he asked his mother about his gifts and his desire to fight. His mother told him about how his father had found him floating in the river in a basket. His armor and earrings had grown with him. Karna sought out Drona to learn the ways of war. Drona turned him down because he only taught Kshatriyas. Karna decided not to tell him that he was in fact one because he felt it would be disrespectful to his parents. Karna returned home but did not tell his family what had happened. Karna then found a guru. Ep 19 - Karna begged Vishnu to teach him, all Vishnu asked was if he was a Kshatriya. Karna tells Parshuram that he is not a Kshatriya, but rather a Brahmin. He did this because long ago, Vishnu had wiped the earth of Kshatriyas. Karna learned all of the ways of war from him.     When Parshuram was napping on Karna's

Week 12 Story - SHAZAM!

 Billy Batson once again found himself in a familiar situation. He was running through the snow-covered streets of Chicago, taking random turns as his bullies chased him. The bullies in question were the Colson brothers, a nasty duo known for picking on the less fortunate kids at school. Following their previous encounters, Billy tried to avoid conflict and lay low at school, but when he saw the Colson brothers picking on a new student and a fellow orphan, he felt he had to intervene.  Billy knew that if he could just make it to the subway station he could easily lose them. So, he took a hard right turn down the alley between Herbert's Diner and Walgreen's, jumping over fences and dodging the trash bags laying on the ground. He weaved his way through the crowd of people making their way down the subway steps and jumped onto the handrail, sliding his way down. Once at the bottom, he took a quick look behind him only to see the Colson brothers rampaging their way down the Subway

Reading Notes: Epified - Krishna Part B

 Krishna and Balram arrived in Mathura. People started to know who they were and word got around. A woman named Trivakra was one of the people who gathered to see their deeds. Trivakra was old and had 3 deformities: a twisted neck, a hunched back, and a paralyzed knee. She had been told long ago that the son of Vasudev would return to Mathura and heal her. She approached Krishna and told him that she needed healing. Krishna healed her with a hug. Kamsa, Krishna's tyrant uncle, soon heard that he was in town. Kamsa knew he only had one more chance to kill Krishna before the prophecy came true. Kamsa knew of an elephant named Kuvalayapida who was fierce and deadly. Kamsa planned to use him to kill Krishna. He had the elephant tied to the gates at the entrance of the palace so that it would kill Krishna and Balram if they tried to enter. Soon Krishna and Balram came to the elephant and it attacked Krishna. Krishna grabbed the elephant by its trunk and flung it away. Krishna then hit i

Reading Notes: Epified Krishna Part A

 Notes for Epified - Krishna The birth of Krishna Cruel King Kamsa. His cousin Devaki married Vasudev. A voice from the sky told him that the eighth child of this couple would slay him. The king decided to kill all of her children to prevent his own death. The 7th child was transported by a goddess from its mother's womb to the womb of Rohini. Kamsa thought she had a miscarriage so he was happy. Then she became pregnant with her 8th child. The animals of the earth and the gods rejoiced because Vishnu was returning to Earth. The guards soon approached to kill the child. Vasudev stood in his prison cell holding his child. He looked out his cell and saw that the guards were asleep. He walked out with his son. The entire city of Mathura was silent and still. He went to the Yamuna river. The voice in his head told him to surrender to the river. He bowed and asked for help. A huge serpent emerged from the river. Vasudev stepped into the river and the serpent protected him from the rain a

Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part B

 Notes For Jataka Tales Part B The King's White Elephant     carpenters live on river bank near forest. they go into the forest to cut trees and make lumber. One day, an elephant limps to them on 3 feet. He had a large splinter in his foot. They pulled it out and washed the wound. To repay the carpenters, the elephant helps them in any way he can. They, in return, feed him. The elephant then had a son, whom he took to the carpenters in place of himself because he was getting old. At night the elephant would play with the children of the carpenters in the river. One day, the king came down the river, saw the elephant, and immediately wanted him. The carpenters sold him to the king who took good care of him. Why the Owl is Not King of the Birds     A long time ago the people had a king. The four footed animals also had a king. The fish also had a king. Then the birds started talking and decided that they needed a king. They then decided that the owl should be king. Then an old crow s

Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part A

 Notes for Jataka Tales Part A The Monkey and The Crocodile     I remember reading this one early on in the semester. The monkey fools to crocodile into thinking that his heart is actually a fruit hanging from a tree across the river. The crocodile gives the monkey a ride across, not realizing he has been tricked. How the Turtle Saved His Own Life     I also remember reading this one earlier. A king had a pond made for his sons to play in. They loved the fish, but when they saw a turtle, they were scared of it thinking it was a monster or a demon. The king ordered his men to catch the turtle and bring it to him. They then discuss potential ideas for how to kill the turtle. One man, fearing water, suggests throwing the turtle into the flowing river that goes over rocks and into the ocean. The turtle, being smart, explains that this option scares him greatly and that he doesn't deserve such a fate. The King decides that this is the best option and then they throw the turtle in. The t