Here are all the links that will take you directly to my portfolio stories. Two of my stories revolve around a food theme and my third is just my favorite story that we read this semester. Enjoy!
Jatayu-
Portfolio Story #1
The Story of Mankanaka-
Portfolio Story #2
Ganesha the Bottomless Pit-
Portfolio Story #3
Showing posts with label Portfolio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Portfolio. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Storytelling: Week 9, Ganesha the Bottomless Pit
Kubera, the god of wealth, one day travels to Mount Kailash in order to request the presence of Shiva, the supreme god, in hopes of gaining the darshan or vision of Shiva. As he arrives, Shiva's handmaiden escorts him to the chambers of Shiva where they begin to sit and discuss his travels and future plans. It is at this time that Kubera invites Shiva to a large spectacle that he will be holding in his city the following day. Kubera does so in order to show Shiva the wealth he possesses and hopefully gain his approval. Shiva is uncomfortable with such an idea and decides that he must decline the invitation. However, he presents to Kubera the idea of allowing his son Ganesha to go in his stead but warns of his voracious appetite. Kubera shrugs off such a comment, believing that his wealth could feed all of the gods for a lifetime and accepts Shiva's proposal. The following day, Ganesha accompanies Kubera to the city of Alakapuri, arriving just in time for the beginning of the banquet. As the serving of the first few dishes begins, Kubera starts realizing that he may slightly be in over his head. Ganesha not only eats the plates set in front of him but also those of the guests around him. He now even begins walking down the lengthy table, grabbing and guzzling the plates of all those in sight. Kubera orders all of his servants to bring out as much food as they can possibly carry and only serve it to Ganesha. This action was moot, for as Kubera turns his back to tell them this, Ganesha makes his way to the kitchen and polishes off every piece of food in sight. As he reenters the dining hall, Ganesha even begins to consume the plates, cutlery, and now even a few of Kubera's esteemed guests. Knowing that things can only get worse, Kubera immediately leaves the city, frantically making his way toward Mount Kailash. As he arrives back at the mountain, Shiva is awaiting him at the base.
Shiva laughs to himself saying, "I told you the boy had quite the little appetite, did I not?"
Kubera stares awestruck at the god, not knowing whether to laugh at this statement or return to his city in hopes that it may still be standing.
Shiva once again snickers and says, "I will give you the one solution to your problem if you promise that you will always be loyal to my son and me."
Kubera agrees to the terms presented by Shiva and in turn Shiva hands him one single laddoo, a traditional indian sweet. He wonders to himself how such a small item can possibly fill the appetite of that boy but he doesn't question the actions of Shiva. He bows his head in thanks and then dashes back to his chariot, hoping that upon his return the walls of his city may still be standing.
As he pulls up to the city gates, nearly half the city has already been destroyed and Ganesha is on the path to finishing it all off. Kubera finally finds Ganesha within the ruins and kneels at his feet. He dare not make eye contact with the ravenous boy yet he extends his hands with the offering tucked neatly between them. Ganesha takes the laddoo, tosses it up in the air and scarfs it down just as he had everything else that night. However, at this point, he takes a seat next to Kubera, places a hand on his bulging stomach and exclaims, "What a meal! I haven't eat like that in ages. I don't think I ever could again." At this comment he regains his feet and begins to strut out of the city as if nothing has happened, returning to his father's side and offering to always take his father's spot at dinner parties whenever Shiva feels that it is necessary.
Shiva laughs to himself saying, "I told you the boy had quite the little appetite, did I not?"
Kubera stares awestruck at the god, not knowing whether to laugh at this statement or return to his city in hopes that it may still be standing.
Shiva once again snickers and says, "I will give you the one solution to your problem if you promise that you will always be loyal to my son and me."
Kubera agrees to the terms presented by Shiva and in turn Shiva hands him one single laddoo, a traditional indian sweet. He wonders to himself how such a small item can possibly fill the appetite of that boy but he doesn't question the actions of Shiva. He bows his head in thanks and then dashes back to his chariot, hoping that upon his return the walls of his city may still be standing.
As he pulls up to the city gates, nearly half the city has already been destroyed and Ganesha is on the path to finishing it all off. Kubera finally finds Ganesha within the ruins and kneels at his feet. He dare not make eye contact with the ravenous boy yet he extends his hands with the offering tucked neatly between them. Ganesha takes the laddoo, tosses it up in the air and scarfs it down just as he had everything else that night. However, at this point, he takes a seat next to Kubera, places a hand on his bulging stomach and exclaims, "What a meal! I haven't eat like that in ages. I don't think I ever could again." At this comment he regains his feet and begins to strut out of the city as if nothing has happened, returning to his father's side and offering to always take his father's spot at dinner parties whenever Shiva feels that it is necessary.
Ganesha holding a plate of laddos
Author's note: This story comes from the Puranas, a set of ancient Indian texts that discuss all of the well known Hindu gods. I have tried to maintain a theme of food within my portfolio stories so although many of you will have never read the original, I figured this would be better suited for that purpose. I have also included a laddoo recipe for anyone who is interested in trying the Indian sweet. The original story uses the same setting that I used and includes the same characters. Basically Kubera hopes to have Shiva attend his grand feast but in turn gets the presence of Shiva's son, Ganehsa. Ganesha is said to be quite the voracious eater but Kubera assumes that his palace will be able to handle any appetite. As the feast commences Kubera begins to realize that Ganesha cannot be satisfied and that if he is not quickly stopped, the entire city will be consumed. He travels back to speak with Shiva and is given grains of roasted rice to give to Ganesha. He cannot believe that such a small offering could possibly fill the boy but he knows he must trust Shiva's advice. Once the grains are given to Ganesha in true humility, his rampage ceases and he is full at last. I chose to change from the rice grains to the laddo in order to incorporate a traditional Indian sweet. By doing so, I was able to include a recipe for the preparation of laddos and hopefully expand the knowledge of the class. I really enjoyed this story and the message that is intertwined throughout.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Storytelling, Week 6: The Story of Mankanaka: Final
When almost always surrounded on all sides by the eruption of lush green grass, why is it then that we just let it lie and leave it to be consumed by animals? One would think that such a resource ought to be utilized by the likes of men. However, there once was a man who only indulged himself with heaping piles of grass, never straying from the consumption of the sweet savory stalks. This is the story of Mankanaka and his power over the world.
Mankanaka was a common man, choosing to live a spiritual life within the forest, always trying to find a path towards enlightenment. From a young age, Mankanaka believed that the best way to achieve his goal was to truly become one with nature, never taking the life of another and only eating what the Earth provided to him. This idea started off well for him, but after some time the man developed a taste for only one item in the world. He loved the taste of grass and the spirituality that he believed it brought to him. In the spring the grass was a vibrant green, tasting sweet and succulent. In the fall it began to brown, giving it more of an earthy quality in both taste and appearance. In the winter Mankanaka had to find ways to rejuvenate the grass that was now dried out and brittle, most often stewing it back to life. The changes in seasons continually kept Mankanaka on his feet, never growing tired of the taste of grass. One day while he was in a field of tall grass, harvesting his lunch, Mankanaka accidentally swung his sickle a little too far and gashed his left arm. Expecting to see a red gush begin to flow, he was quite surprised when instead of red, a green fluid began to drip out. Wondering what exactly was occurring, he dipped the tip of his finger into the substance and tasted what lay below. To his amazement, the substance tasted exactly like the grass he was surrounded by. He became enamored with this realization and began to dance around in pure bliss, believing that he had finally achieved true enlightenment. Other creatures and people began to notice Mankanaka's happiness and followed in the pursuit of his joy. All began to dance and all became enthralled with joy. As this occurred, the gods began to notice what was happening down on Earth. The world was beginning to spin violently out of control and the only hope of stopping it was to end the dancing of Mankanaka. Shiva was sent down by the gods to do so.
As Shiva approached Mankanaka, those around him began to stop dancing, enchanted by the beauty and power of the god. Mankanaka, however, didn't even notice the presence of Shiva and continued to rapidly spin round and round. As with a coin spinning on a table, Shiva quickly and abruptly placed a finger atop the head of Mankanaka and stopped him in his tracks. As he looked the god in the eyes, he knew that he had created trouble in this world. Shiva explained to him what it was that he was doing and that if he continued his dancing, the end of the world would come at the movement of his feet. Then, just as quickly as Shiva had appeared, the god was gone and all eyes were on Mankanaka. He told all to go away and he returned to his quest for enlightenment, only sometimes indulging in his favorite feast of springtime grass.
Author's Note: This is based off of The Story of Mankanaka, a tale in the Mahabharata written by Buck. In this tale, Mankanaka only eats grass, which causes him to bleed a green substance. This causes his happiness and continual dancing that disrupts the Earth. His dancing threatens to destroy the world so the gods send Shiva to attempt to stop his actions. Unlike the original story I have Shiva come to Mankanaka in his true form because I believe it better conveys the seriousness of the issue and his power to those dancing. Also, in the original story it is ash that flows from Shiva's veins when he is cut to show his power to Mankanaka. I thought that having the grass ooze out from Mankanaka better exemplified the connection he had to nature and the amount of grass he had consumed. I chose this story because it revolves around food, a very common topic within the Indian epics. I plan to continue finding stories with aspects of food lying within them and further elaborating on this topic. I will also begin to add various recipes for Indian dishes that I have found along the way well researching this topic. Food, as in most cultures, plays an important role in not only to the history of India but also because of the impact it plays religiously. As I continue on with this story theme I would begin to add various culture tips and/or fun facts regarding their food culture. The Story of Mankanaka was a very basic start of the stories that I hope are to come continually improving on the content and knowledge that will be passed unto the readers.
Buck, W. (1973). Mahabharata. University of California Press.
Mankanaka was a common man, choosing to live a spiritual life within the forest, always trying to find a path towards enlightenment. From a young age, Mankanaka believed that the best way to achieve his goal was to truly become one with nature, never taking the life of another and only eating what the Earth provided to him. This idea started off well for him, but after some time the man developed a taste for only one item in the world. He loved the taste of grass and the spirituality that he believed it brought to him. In the spring the grass was a vibrant green, tasting sweet and succulent. In the fall it began to brown, giving it more of an earthy quality in both taste and appearance. In the winter Mankanaka had to find ways to rejuvenate the grass that was now dried out and brittle, most often stewing it back to life. The changes in seasons continually kept Mankanaka on his feet, never growing tired of the taste of grass. One day while he was in a field of tall grass, harvesting his lunch, Mankanaka accidentally swung his sickle a little too far and gashed his left arm. Expecting to see a red gush begin to flow, he was quite surprised when instead of red, a green fluid began to drip out. Wondering what exactly was occurring, he dipped the tip of his finger into the substance and tasted what lay below. To his amazement, the substance tasted exactly like the grass he was surrounded by. He became enamored with this realization and began to dance around in pure bliss, believing that he had finally achieved true enlightenment. Other creatures and people began to notice Mankanaka's happiness and followed in the pursuit of his joy. All began to dance and all became enthralled with joy. As this occurred, the gods began to notice what was happening down on Earth. The world was beginning to spin violently out of control and the only hope of stopping it was to end the dancing of Mankanaka. Shiva was sent down by the gods to do so.
As Shiva approached Mankanaka, those around him began to stop dancing, enchanted by the beauty and power of the god. Mankanaka, however, didn't even notice the presence of Shiva and continued to rapidly spin round and round. As with a coin spinning on a table, Shiva quickly and abruptly placed a finger atop the head of Mankanaka and stopped him in his tracks. As he looked the god in the eyes, he knew that he had created trouble in this world. Shiva explained to him what it was that he was doing and that if he continued his dancing, the end of the world would come at the movement of his feet. Then, just as quickly as Shiva had appeared, the god was gone and all eyes were on Mankanaka. He told all to go away and he returned to his quest for enlightenment, only sometimes indulging in his favorite feast of springtime grass.
Shiva, The Savior of Mankanaka
Source: Wikipedia
Author's Note: This is based off of The Story of Mankanaka, a tale in the Mahabharata written by Buck. In this tale, Mankanaka only eats grass, which causes him to bleed a green substance. This causes his happiness and continual dancing that disrupts the Earth. His dancing threatens to destroy the world so the gods send Shiva to attempt to stop his actions. Unlike the original story I have Shiva come to Mankanaka in his true form because I believe it better conveys the seriousness of the issue and his power to those dancing. Also, in the original story it is ash that flows from Shiva's veins when he is cut to show his power to Mankanaka. I thought that having the grass ooze out from Mankanaka better exemplified the connection he had to nature and the amount of grass he had consumed. I chose this story because it revolves around food, a very common topic within the Indian epics. I plan to continue finding stories with aspects of food lying within them and further elaborating on this topic. I will also begin to add various recipes for Indian dishes that I have found along the way well researching this topic. Food, as in most cultures, plays an important role in not only to the history of India but also because of the impact it plays religiously. As I continue on with this story theme I would begin to add various culture tips and/or fun facts regarding their food culture. The Story of Mankanaka was a very basic start of the stories that I hope are to come continually improving on the content and knowledge that will be passed unto the readers.
Buck, W. (1973). Mahabharata. University of California Press.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Storytelling: Jatayu (Final Revision)
Frantically they searched the forest, looking for
any sign that may lead them to Sita's captor. They began to find pieces of
armor, larger than any man could wear yet sliced clean through like warm
butter. Next came an axle shooting straight out of the ground and erupting
through the canopy, greatly taller than any tree. Then there it was - through
the trees Rama could make out the shape of what he thought to be a bird but
like none he had ever seen before. Unaware of whether this beast would be
friend or foe, Rama and Lakshamana slowly crept through the tree line in an
effort to conceal their movement. As they broke through the final branches,
towering above them laid Jatayu, the bird king. He was the most magnificent
thing either of the men had ever seen, pure white with a feathering that looked
like silk. He had a sort of sheen about him that illuminated the leaves all
around almost like a beacon in the middle of a churning sea. However, as they
moved closer, they began to realize that Jatayu was badly injured. They began to piece together the clues, assuming that this great beast must have been the one responsible for the shredded armor and wagon pieces scattered throughout the forest. Jatayu turned to Rama with an unbreakable
gaze and said, "I am Jatayu, king of the heavens and all those who fly
within it. I tried to save your wife from the demon king but my old age has
weakened me. We fought one another across the heavens but just as victory was
in sight, I was fooled by my own doing; it looked as though I had removed Rama's arms but they grew back as I was focused on his ten heads. This is when he struck his final blow, parting my wings from my body, watching me plummet to this very spot. Will
you help me to pass onto the next world and if granted, return to you one day
in your debt?"
Rama was saddened to see this great hero pass, but
knew that it was his duty to fulfill the wishes of Jatayu and give him a proper
funeral. Rama and Lakshamana began to cut down nearby trees and build a pyre
around the dying king. Rama took off his meager robes and draped them over the
king to represent their newly created bond and Jatayu's sacrifice. The pyre was
so great in size that it took the two men the remainder of the day to finish
it, completing it just as the golden sun began to sink beneath the western
shore.
Just as Rama was to light the pyre, Jatayu once
again caught his gaze and forced out his final words, "You will find her; never lose hope."
Rama dropped the torch after hearing this and the pyre caught ablaze. It
glowed with a beauty that only further reminded him of Sita and her golden
brown skin. As he looked away, holding back tears, something strange began to
happen. The fire began to engulf Jatayu and beat almost as that of a bird’s
wing. It then began to change colors, first a subtle orange, then a vibrant
yellow, and finally a blistering red. Out of the flames rose the spirit of
Jatayu, reborn once again. As he took flight out of the flames, Rama knew that
this would not be his last encounter with Jatayu; when needed, he would appear
to fulfill his promise.
Ravana and Jatayu in Battle
(Source: Wikipedia )
Author's note: This is my take on the funeral of Jatayu and a more in-depth look at the events that may have occurred during this time. The stories
of Jatayu and his brother Sampati are some of my favorites within the epics but
I feel that they are often skimmed through and not given the amount of detail
that they deserve. The battle that occurs between Ravana and Jatayu is another
example of a lacking portion and I especially felt the shortage during the
funeral of Jatayu. This character represents everything that is good in the
world and lives only to benefit the lives of those around him. He is then
murdered by the ruthless demon king, Ravana, trying to prevent the capture of
Sita and return her to her lover, Rama. Such acts of selfless bravery deserve
to be spoken of and the funeral of such a being ought to be adequately
represented. This is why I chose to rewrite this story and embellish it in the
ways in which I felt appropriate. I focused primarily on the use of colors in
order to add visual detail and hopefully help the readers to better picture the
scene for themselves. I also wanted to show the magnificence that comes to mind
when I read about the bird king, Jatayu, by better describing his features and
the general presence that he has.
Buck, William. "The Golden Deer." Ramayana. Los Angeles: U of California, 1976. 173-175. Print.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)