Indian Epics

A Depiction of the Churning Rod ( Source ) This version is rather confusing lots of unfamiliar words The reason they are churning the ocean isn't immediately obvious Vishnu is the lotus-eyed one. Interesting. What is a churning rod? I don't quite understand what's going on here.  A short google, and the snake, Vasuki is wrapped around the mountain, and his head and tail are pulled alternately to make the mountain spin, like a bow drill. Is Narayana above Brahmana? I thought Brahmana was the embodiment of everything. Narayana is Vishnu apparently, and the absolute being in Hinduism Lakshmi is born! Vishnu cross-dresses for the sake of humanity Who are the Danavas and where did they enter this story? Bibliography: The Mahabarata

Interesting multitude of art styles Various depictions of characters Introduces separation between stories/versions The narrators' confusion betrays various versions of the story that have been told over time In this version it is discussed that Ravana is a decent guy. In R. K. Narayan version he is kind of terrible. Skips over Soorpankha's obsession with Rama Lakshmana is just absent I guess Sita get pregnant in this version? Bibliography: Sita Sings the Blues, By Nina Paley