Indian Epics

The Regal and Proud Sphinx. ( Source ) Once, long long ago, when the world was filled with more mystery and magic, a group of hunters wandered the woods. They were pursuing a deer they had wounded when they came upon a pond in the woods. They thirsted, as they had been pursing the deer for many hours. One knelt to take a drink when a voice resounded through the clearing the pond resided in. "Answer me my queries before you take of my water." The hunter was strong and proud, and was not one to be told what to do or how to act. He cupped the water to his lips, and instantly fell down, dead. The other hunters drew back. Some fled, thinking the site was haunted or cursed. Some simply suspected the water was poisoned and ignored their thirst. But the youngest, who perhaps had more curiosity than sense, stepped forward and said "I will answer your questions." Out of the woods stalked a sphinx. It sat proudly at the edge of the water, the tip of its tail fli...

The Horse Sacrifice ( Source ) I just can't get into this one like I could the Ramayana Lots of fight scenes in Indian literature Its almost in stanzas, like poetry I can't keep track of all the characters and their relationships, its like Game of Thrones interesting tidbit, Duryodhana can stay underwater indefinitely ""Ashwatthaman is a brahmin, and Vishnu, the greatest of the gods" I appreciate order of operations, first a brahmin, second Vishnu It is okay to partake of unclean food if one's life is in peril Righteousness sometimes looks like unrighteousness See the horse sacrifice again Neat. Land of women warriors Bibliography: The Mahabharata , By  Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.

Kichaka pursues Draupadi ( Source ) Everything seems only distantly linked, very episodic Intriguing, the idea of praying so hard you become a god yourself, but I suppose that' kind of like Christian sainthood This is all happening post-Ramayana, because Hanuman recounts it Different Yugas, less and less virtue Duties of castes, different ways to achieve heaven Interesting riddle pool. Kinda sphynx-esque Poor Draupadi gets the short end of like every stick Bibliography: The Mahabharata , By  Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.

Draupadi and the Pandavas Brothers ( Source ) They straight up murdered some low-caste people. or at least were intentionally responsible for their deaths. Interesting. Polyandry. Disguise themselves, win the princess's hand All 5 brothers are a single incarnation of Indra. "I cannot waiver from the truth. Truth is my only weapon." Story of the alligator princess Lots of defiance of traditional gender in this story. He wagered himself before wagering Draupadi, so he couldn't lose her. How did he lose if his dice were loaded? Bibliography:  The Mahabharata , By  Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.

The Pandavas Brothers ( Source ) So much politics! So many people to keep straight! Fisherman's daughter might make a good story Story of Ganga drowning her kids Go Amba. Kill the dude. Be a fierce battle chick. Damn. She has to become a man. Story of Karna is similar to story of Moses "I do not blame you for your having killed a deer, or for the injury you have done to me. But, instead of acting so cruelly, you should have waited till the completion of my act of intercourse." Fighting over who /gets/ to die on their husband's funeral pyre. Hindu mythology is metal. The snake poison counteracted the poison poison Why does severing your thumb cause you to draw a bow with your middle finger? Bibliography: The Mahabharata , By  Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore.

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