Reading Notes: Francis and Thomas. Jataka Tales Part B

Back fro one final week of Jataka tales. Kinda emotional, mainly because of lack of sleep from other projects in other classes, but still...
Last time I tried to be very positive in my assessment and subsequent comments and T think that was a change for the better. Now however, I think I may have gone too far in that direction. For this week I will try to mix a more negative and positive approach to get a nice balanced set of thoughts on a story.

The Pigeon and the Crow:
This story is dark, especially for a children's tale. I get that it is warning of greed and lying and whatnot, but as a cautionary tale it is implying that if you steal even a bit of meat you will be skinned alive and killed! Maybe that was true, but a story for children is usually expected to have a bit of a softer edge to it. Maybe that is just my culture speaking though, a lot of Jataka tales end with the foolish animal's death....
That all being said, I did quite enjoy the imagery, and the choice of making them birds flying about being sorta friends was a fun visual in my mind while I read it. Overall although I was a bit concerned about the tone, I quite liked it.

The value of a Brother:
This story is... confusing to say the least. I comment on it because it is so simple, yet the meaning and explanations seem to allude me. The one thing I know for sure is that it is a story teaching young girls of the time that they must be married. Besides for that there is the part about a brother being more important than your husband of son, but I'm not entirely sure that's what it meant...
The story itself has an interesting premise, thios woman cleverly getting these three men out of a scrape they are in. Where it goes wrong is with the logic, which I hesitate to complain about in a children's book except that the logic is part way important to the meaning and I just can't seem to sniff that out.

Reading Source
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Reading notes: Francis and Thomas. Jataka Tales Part A

You thought I was done with Jataka Tales? Of course not! I am having a blast reading these for one reason or another and you can bet I'll continue for most all of the remaining readings! One thing will be different for these notes though. I will still take more thorough notes on two or three of the tales that I have something to say, but I am going to try to be much more positive than I have been in the past. I have been rather critical of these stories thus far and no more!

The Little Gildmaster:
What a great story to start talking positively about! This little tale is wonderfully reminiscent of a kind of Tom Sawyer type of childhood bliss where you can make it through the world on wit alone. It was very entertaining to read as I grew up reading Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and I can only image it was a favorite of children everywhere.
One thing I really liked about the way the story was told is that it made an effort to be clever. I could easily see some tellings of this children's story passing up on the cleverness because of the intended audience. It did a very good job of making the audience feel as if they were in on the clever ruse at the right times and on the outside for the wrong times.

The Guilty Dogs:
This story is wonderful. I think the set up may be one of a my favorites so far. The "bad guy" is so clearly established, because who wouldn't hate a dog killer. Especially as a child, those being told this story knew who to hate. That being said the "villain" is redeemed by the end of the story. It teaches children forgiveness and to not blindly pass judgement. This is a great tale.
I've noticed with the stories in this book, unlike the previous Jataka tale book I read, there is less of a reverent tone towards the King or the rich. Both the stories I am writing about do this where the poor man is lifted upon them. This makes me think these stories were written by and for a poorer class than the other ones. I have no proof of this, but it seems like a reasonable assumption.

Reading Source
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Reading: The Giant crab and Other Tales Part 2

Note time! I was actually kind of happy to have an excuse to come back to this book. I quite enjoyed the first part. It really felt like reading bedtime stories albeit a bit stranger than the ones I was told. But maybe my own would look weird if I heard them outside my memory again. Once again I'll write about my thoughts on a few of the stories I read.

Birds of a Feather:
I have never heard the term skinflint before today, but I think I love it. Overall this story is pretty straight foreword. That is one of the reasons I decided to choose this one to write about. Generally, the stories I read in the previous chapters all had some bizarre and twisted message that was somewhat lost in the mix of strange metaphors and somewhat backwards sensibilities. This story however seems to translate quite well over to modern society. It appears a wonderful explanation of the birds of a feather expression and furthermore it tries to have a little bit of a message. That being said the moral of the story is a tiny bit clouded by the fact that the horse owner is expected to just kinda live with the kings evil doings, but that is definitely to be expected from the times and might even be seen more subtly in modern stories.

Spend a pound to win a penny:
Normally I would spread the writing about readings a bit more evenly, but the story directly after the previous one caught my attention so much I couldn't help but write about it. I will assume whoever reads this (if anyone besides for me really) they will have read the story.
This story has such a clear and simple moral message that I am shocked at how specific the story was. It could have been about just about anything, but they decided to choose a monkey stealing some peas. Now I bring this up because not only does it feel like a bizarre choice for the story, but it also feels a bit cheap. The story feels a bit forced in that the monkey spills all his peas to get the one? I understand that's the point of it, but my question is why is this somewhat stretch of an event the one the writer chose. I guess maybe telling this to toddler age children might help, I could see one of them doing something like that, and I get that a monkey is a cuter tale than someone with a gambling addiction, but I feel like there could be better alternatives. Maybe I'm just a jerk, I don't know.
A somewhat similar decision of a strange nature can be seen later on in the story Lacknose. The lie the boys tell about his nose growing doesn't make any sense, not only is it a lie, but even if it was the truth it doesn't feel much like flattery. Any lie could have done, but this one feels weird to me. I will admit this one could very well be a cultural difference though.


I criticize some of these stories for their logic, but honestly, part of their appeal to me is that they don't always make the most sense. I quite enjoy reading them partially because of how nonsesical they are and I wonder if that is part of the reason they are so beloved by kids. The stories are often fun and whimsical to the end.

A link to the reading!
And the image source!

Reading notes: The Giant Crab and Other tales from Old India Part A

Well starting out with the Titular giant crab story...

I'm not entirely sure what the moral of this story is besides for "Don't eat people." I suppose there is probably a cautionary tale of greed somewhere within the story, but it is honestly lost among the rest of the strange story. It does teach teamwork for sure, teamwork in murder... Oh well, I'm sure I won't understand all of these stories.

Up next, the Hypocritical Cat. I actually used this story for my storybook this last weekend, so I am very familiar with this one. I still am not entirely sure if there is supposed to be a moral. I'm starting to think maybe these stories are just about people overcoming adversity. Then again this story does warn against lying about how pious you are and that murder murder is great if you're a mouse but bad if you're a cat.

The next one I read and really have any comments on is the Goblin and the Sneeze. This story legitimately made me laugh because of (unlike the previous two I commented on) the lesson being taught is so blatant and obvious. Basically the story is just, "Always say bless you, unless you want to get eaten by a goblin." It calls back to similar stories that parents tell you to keep you in your bed late at night and what not.

There is so much to say about "The jackal went a wooing" that I don't even know where to begin. The first off is seriously, what are they trying to teach their children with this story. Two of the brothers die and the lioness still gets to live happily ever after (albeit with a slight twinge of loneliness). The jackal just dies, he didn't do anything bad. That is of course unless you consider hitting out of your monetary class a sin...

The stories and picture source

Reading notes: Epified Krishna Part a

Epified Krishna

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Do the gods ever expect people to not try and kill their prophesied killers. This seems to usually just result in revenge plots that bring about the prophecy that they tried to prevent. I guess in this way, the gods could just choose who they wanted to kill by giving them a prophesy...

i wonder if the story of the teleporting baby was just some ladies excuse for being pregnant outside of wedlock? It's interesting to think how the story tellers came up with these stories.

The gods definitely cheated with the whole, letting her eighth child be a god thing. They really wanted the king dead.

The story of how he escapes with his god son reminds me a lot of the christian story of how Paul escaped from his prison later in the new testament.

He keeps his poor cousin in prison even after she had given birth? that sucks.

I like how baby Krishna just steals all of the demon ladies powers by breast milk. It is kinda absurd but also kinda makes sense?

It is hilarious how they decided to make Krishna  rowdy child. like he knows the world's rules didn't apply to him.

She just saw everything in his mouth? This is bizarre, but also kinda great...

So Krishna scared a snake demon away with his music?!? This story keeps getting better.

And He choked a tornado? I joke, but seriously these stories have elements that seem insane and how in the world did someone make them up, but it all kinda works together.

Reading notes: Epified Mahabharata part B

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The Epified Mahabharata:
Time for the second set of episodes!

I can not emphasize enough how useful these "Catch up" intros are.

So Gunti can call god's down to ...make her with child... Seems a bit overpowered, wow.

I completely missed the origin of the Pandavas in the original reading. It is a lot easier to understand the complicated story in video form.

She DROPPED HER BABY! Hold up, that is insane. I know he turned out fine since he is the sin of a god, but seriously...

Where in the world did this story of 100 vat born children get thought up, it is bizarre to think about how someone thought of this.

So they had 100 ugly children. The way they treat this in the story is kind of hilarious.

The attempted betrayal of the Pandavas is even more grizzly seeing visually that they are all just young kids.

Some of these stories, like the snake story, seemed to have changed a bit in the animated version. i wonder if this has anything to do with different tellings, or if the creators of the animated version just wanted something more visually interesting.

I really like this version of the story where the reeds form a rope!

A fairly average young adult novel could be written about the Pandavas training days I think.

The peasant archer story is still sad, even as a cartoon.

Reading notes: Epified Mahabharata part A

The Epified Mahabharata:
I can already tell it's going to be easier to keep track of characters because of the images.


I also really like the narrator's voice. Both the girl and guy have a very clear reading voice. I also like how there is explanation beyond just the story telling.

The way they told the story of Shantanu and Ganga plays out much better not knowing why Ganga is killing the children first.

The entire story literaly kicks off because King Shantanu couldn't get over a girl he met. A lot of people die because of this... Rewatching the story i have a much clearer view of this.

The whole choosing his moment of death thing doesn't really come full circle very well.

He who was formerly known as Deravrat still seems a bit overly obsessed with his father in this version too, but that may just be a cultural thing.

The story so far section is going to be a life saver for me.

Amba really does deserve the revenger she will eventually exact, I kinds forgot about that.

Some of these stories such as Satyavati's son growing up instantly don't get any less ridiculous in this form.

Vyasa couldn't have... I don't know, taken a shower?

There are far fewer stories in these video playlists, so it's harder to take alot of notes. I do really like these compared to the reading, it is still hard to keep all the characters in mind, but between the images and the "last time on"s it makes it a lot easier.

Image Source

Reading Notes: Mahabharata part D

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The Mahabharata part D:

The character of Amba brings this up specifically, but i love how often these epics will bring back a character we saw earlier on and then just sorta forgot about. It makes the world of the story feel so much more real and lived in to me. This works really well for storytelling in print form also because of the ease at which someone can look back to recall who that character is.

"Shit hits the fan" would be a good way to describe the events that are now unfolding. i know they have been building up for many chapters now, but it is still shocking to see characters dying so rapidly.

The story really is hammering in how the enemy should be rooted against. Their trickery is clearly seen as a bad thing.

I will however admit that the "the elephant" technicality on the man who can not lie is kinda hilarious.

I am actually having a bit of trouble remembering which character is on which side to be honest. I should have made a little check sheet or something, definitely will during my next version of this reading.

This set of chapters is sad...

I get that Brishma gets to choose his own death date, but I didn't consider that he could be... incapacitated in other ways so that he couldn't battle. I kinda assumed he'd be fighting right up until he decided to die.

As shown by the horse rituals I appreciate how some parts of these stories are meant to teach the young children their cultural rituals and what not in a way that is more engaging to them.

Reading Notes: Mahabharata part C

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PDE Version of the story

I wonder if these similarities to Rama are on purpose or just a cultural trope used in story telling, or if it is a cultural trope in story telling because of Rama.

"It is not easy to confine the waters once the damn hath burst" So true... so true...

I'm noticing a very heavy story telling importance on weapons of the heroes. This isn't really unusual, but other religious texts don't normally do that as much as comic books do.

I wonder if they were always called the Himalayas or if the author of these PDE versions of the stories decided to change it to the modern day name.

A cross over from Hanuman, how could this story get any better!?!

Why does he discourse on the duties of the different casts though? It almost feels like the writer just wanted to add a sentence, "And he was a very classist person" But thought better of it at the last moment.

Duryodhana honestly has plenty of reasons to dislike the Pandavas considering how often he is humiliated in front of them. Although in this case, being saved by the Pandavas is a tiny bit better than being a prisoner for forever.

It is interesting how easily Duryodhana was willing to deny his vow, even if it was one of suicide. Rama sure as hell would have found some technicality around it rather than just disobeying it, truly Duryodhana is the villain.

This invincible dart is not at all worth Karna's armor. Especially since it can only be used in a time of true peril.

Rest in piece poor impatient Nakula. 

Well I had no chance to solve most of those riddles, they were a bit culturally specific...

I like how most all of the Pandavas just straight up die here, but they are resurrected by the end of the chapter.

Poor Draupadi. She really has a rough time of it.

Krishna is trying his best to make peace, too bad that would be  far less interesting epic.

Reading notes: Mahabharata part B

Well the first story already has a problematic reading that it is perfectly OK to burn up some lower caste people as long as they aren't the princes...

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Reading Source:

It's interesting some of the structural similarities between this story and the previous book we read. Just as Rama had to exile himself to the forests so to do the pandavas.

Huh, so apparently Rakshasi can be not all that bad. Today I learned. I'll definitely use this in one of my stories.

So Brihma just appears whenever he is needed? That's actually quite cool.

The concept of a sacrificial ritual having to be performed to bring about the birth of a child is very poetic in nature.

I don't fully understand why the Pandava must hide if they are more powerful than their enemies.

I think its kinda hilarious that they are switching up the gender numbers in the Pandavas somewhat mistaken marriage.

How did any of them think that this marriage was going to work!

I like the second telling of Arjuna and CHita better because it is a bit more humorous.

I kinda thought they were going to find a way out of the whole five husbands one wife thing but I guess that's just here to stay, huh?

This story is so much more political than the previous tale. i wonder if that has something to do with it supposedly being originally told by a monarch.

Hold on a second while I look up what Parcheesi is....

Reading notes: Mahabharata

Link to reading

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The first story already is promising that this new reading is going to be even more out there than the last one and that I'd saying something!

I'm not going to lie, I just got comfortable with the names from the previous reading and now... There are even more.

The part about Satyavati becoming a virgin again is by far one if the strangest things I've read in a while.

Brishma's vow is strange and apparently motivated only out of live for his father, but I don't see how it is terrible.

Brishma is pretty much just a servant to his family at this point.

Amba is going to reincarnate as a dude just to kill Brishma? This story grows in wildness.

Ambika's blind child and how she got it is kinda hilarious.

I feel like panda giving up everything but his wives is the exact opposite thing that he needs to do to overcome his curse.

So snake poison is a cure for poisoning. Huh...

What is the moral of the story of the bril archer? It seems like a not good one.

I find it strange that a teacher can demand anything of his pupils.

Reading notes: Animated Ramayana movie part 1

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Sita Sings the Blues

I am perplexed by the animation style that the creators chose to use, but its definitely unique at the very least. Either way it is a bit grating how it is constantly switching up. It's actually quite interesting that here I find it quite useful that Rama has Blue skin. No matter the art style, Rama is very easy to find among the other characters. I wonder somewhat if this is why he was given blue skin in the original legends, to make him easily stand out in a variety of paintings done by various artists. it is an interesting bit of character design that I at least hadn't thought about until just now.

The story telling style is also a bit interesting. i feel somewhat that the interludes by "narrators" are just there to hold audience attention while the story dulls down a bit, but to me they distracted from the overall story too much. I also didn't fully understand the framing device the story was using. i couldn't tell what was narrative and what was meta-narrative.

I find it really interesting that the animated story decided to cut right to the chase and have Rama almost immediately expelled from the city and then further cut right to Sita's kidnapping, it makes for a more cohesive narrative I think. Cutting out the brother entirely though I feel may have been a decision that ends up hurting the impact of the narrative in the long run though. The music is also cool. It allows for a romance that was missing in the writings to appear.

Still though it is a charming portrayal of the Ramayana and I can;t wait to see the second half this weekend.

Reading notes: Ramayana D

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PDE Ramayana:
I'm a little late on this one, but it has been a busy week.

I like how Rama found a very... obvious loophole to the "unfordable " river. It feels like someone else might have thought of this.

Ravana did not do a very good job of tricking Sita. He kinda gave up really early.

I'm not going to lie, I kinda forgot Rama was leading an army of monkeys. Rally makes this super serious battle have a bit of a humorous tone in my mind.

Kumbhakarna is kinda humorous, especially since he required food before he could fight.

I don't know why, but I really like Hanuman, maybe its just his name. That might be a stupid reason but it makes me think about the importance of character names.

This battle with Ravana is definitely the most epic battle of the entire epic so far and I'm definitely curious to see how it ends.

Even the demons believe it is evil to kill women. That is actually shocking.

Lakshmana I think should have died here as far as storytelling goes, it shows that Rama had to lose something in order to regain Sita, but as is, it doesn't look like that will be the case.

The gods high key cheat by sending Rama help. They can't just force their prophecies to come true, can they?

I like how Agastya comes back, if only for a little bit. It's nice to have some repeating characters.

So Rama completed his destiny. I wonder what is left for him.

Rama not taking back Sita is not a good ending to this story, maybe culturaly, yes. But I'm salty.

Nevermind, he takes her back.. sorta, all is well.

Reading notes: Ramayana C

Source.

Public Domain Ramayana, link to the reading online.

I missed the reading yesterday, so I'll be doing part D as extra credit this weekend. But, here is part C.

I think it's kinda funny that Rama and his brother are apparently striking fear into all the animals in the forest while they're walking about.

Time for a side quest to save the monkey's wife I guess. I feel like the whole getting Sita back thing is only difficult because They don't know her exact location. No one really poses Rama a threat.

To be fair to Vali, a year in this world is a non important amount of time to most of these god like people, so his brothers abandonment must have hurt a lot.

I honestly don't see why Rama felt the need to hide and ambush Vali. Maybe I'm just underestimating Vali though.

I also find it strange that Vali had to die considering it was all just a misunderstanding in the long run.

I hadn't realized Rama's terms of exile made it so he couldn't enter ANY city. I must not have read close enough. That is very harsh.

The rainy season doesn't really do anything to effect the plot. It allows for a bit of contemplation, but it then just leaves. I find this a strange touch.

So do the monkeys rule over the bears? I have to assume so since the monkey king was able to send the bear king to go search for Sita. Kinda makes me think about the animal hierarchy.

I like how some characters, like Sampati tell us their long backstory the first time we meet them.

Hanuman can change size!?! That's kinda awesome.

It's convenient that Hanuman stumbles upon proof of Sita's faithfulness.

The whole monkey's tail on fire and burns the city thing must have been based on a very unfortunate true story.

Well at least one person was smart enough not to go on a suicide mission to kill Rama.

Reading Notes: Ramayana Part B

Public Domain Ramayana, link to the reading online.
Once again, notes as they occur:

I think it is very interesting how unquestioning even Bharata follows Rama. In any western story the brother would leap at the opportunity that he doesn't even need to feel guilty over.


Dasharatha really screwed himself over with this whole thing, even Bharata doesn't get it.

Jabali's speech about family loyalty is interesting  and so is Rama's response and no doubt has been used as a guide by many in the Indian culture.

I wonder if the story of Viradha had any real life inspiration such as a bear near a village or something. That's always something that I keep in the back of my mind.

I find it interesting that besides for Shurpanakha actually being ugly, she also takes a beautiful form. this seems to be the first time that outward beauty might not be a sign of the inner personality.

"The rocks answered back her awesome cries" may be the best way of describing an echo I've ever heard.

Of course Rama must fight the demon army alone. I suppose it was nice to not have to worry about his wife though.

I appreciate that Lakshmata is a bit cocky in battle, kinda like modern action characters.

Image source: Ravana and Maricha.

The art of Ravana is very... interesting

So Sita falls for the trick so easily. But I guess that's alright since it's all part of a very convoluted plot by Brahma.

I feel bad from the vulture character. He saw the right thing to do and he did it, but he died as a result. I feel like the whole "trap" scenario is a bit.... convoluted and given how powerful Rama has been shown to be it seems kinda sudden that he failed to protect Sita.

Reading notes: Ramayana part A

Shiva Catches Ganga Falling to Earth.

(Source)

Public Domain Ramayana, link to the reading online.

So I'm gonna just dot down things that strike me, I'll mention the speciifc story if need be.

Starting from the first couple sentences on the first story I can already tell the names are going to make this challenging for me. I already have trouble with character names that I am familiar with, but this is an extra added level of difficulty.

A phrase strikes me. "the impulses of modesty" are said to withhold the maidens from their lovers. It just is interesting because usually the impulses are what the modesty is meant to avoid.

It seems a common practice for gods of all religion to promise people sons. An interesting cross cultural remnant of a slightly more sexist time.

Another thing I find interesting is the idea of a hierarchy of gods. This isn't something I was raised hearing due to my Christian upbringing, but you see it in almost all mythologies.

Interesting also is the description of the rakshasa. She is described as hideous and misformed. Unlike Rama who is described as beautiful. Mythological good guys almost always seem to be attractive. This might be an element I have to tip toe around in retellings.

They live for thousands of years in these stories?!? Not bad, just a surprise.

I'm reading the PDE edition and come 7. Alhalya there is sudden poetry. The next one isn't a poem, but I find myself reading it as such.

It's interesting that Princess Sita is first seen in a flower garden, almost as if she is one.

Of course it will be a competition for the hand of Sita. the title of the next piece (Ramu wins Sita) might possibly spoil it a bit though.

The "Heir apparent" seems to mark the end of a story arc. I like this kind of structure.

It really does feel at times like Rama has cast a spell on the rest of the characters, but I guess he is really just that.

Reading Notes: Jataka Anthology

Young Hare, a watercolour, 1502, by Albrecht Dürer. Source

The foolish, Timid Rabbit: thoughts

As the first story I read this helps me get a feeling of how the rest of them will be. They remind me a lot of parables like in the Jewish and Christian faith.

This particular story is a great example of a parable. It is a story that works to convey a moral message to the audience. In this stories case that message appears to be, don't freak out over something you don't understand. You are supposed to see this from the main character, the rabbit. I feel like there is a stronger message to be gained from the rest of the characters however. I feel like there is an undercurrent of "check your sources" or "don't rely on blind faith". I wish the story had focused on a different character to get these stronger messages across better.

That being said I did enjoy it, it is a story that got me thinking about my own life and that really is its goal.

The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart: Thoughts

This story like the last is a parable. Almost a retelling at times of "The grass is always greener on the other side", the story definitely ventures to say that you should be satisfied with what you have.

The story telling in this one and the last one both strike me in that the audience is privy to all knowledge of the "evil". The dangers are always known in the stories and what we are left to find out is how the "good" will overcome them. As a device this gives the audience a feeling of omniscience in the world and makes the good seem far more clever for overcoming the bad.

Reading Options

Wow...
It actually blows my mind how many forms these stories have taken over the years. it shouldn't be a surprise given India's population, but still, I had no idea.

Personally I'm very interested in the modern day style telling of the stories available on the kindles. I'll be at the library most days I'm working on this homework anyway, so it'll work out perfectly.

As far as the "second pass through weeks", I don't quite know what I'll do yet, i'm leaning towards the comics or animation because it would be such a different style and really help me get a grasp on these stories.

Some of the options for the second half of semester that particularly interested me are:

          The music: I am always listening to music in my free time, so I feel like this will be one of the more accessible ways for me to learn the stories.

         The comic books (like this one): I used to love comic books as a kid, and I have a feeling I will be able to visualize the fantastical stories told in this form better.

         The art (like this one): As some one who studies art as his career, it interests me to see how other cultures art appears to the western eye. The image below intrigues me a lot beyond just artistic merit, its subject matter at first appears bizarre and mystical.

Source. Parvati and Baby Ganesha