Week 3 Storytelling: Sampathi and Jatayu Flew Too Close to the Sun

Two magnificent giant eagles, Sampathi and Jatayu, now glorious birds of legend and friends of Rama, were once mischievous young brothers. As little eaglets, the two enjoyed nothing more than they enjoyed friendly competition. They found ways to try to best each other in everything they did. Who had the fluffiest feathers? Who could see the farthest treetop? Who ate their morning worms the fastest? Though they were in constant competition, they maintained a light spirit about it, and there was no doubt Sampathi and Jatayu were best friends. Their father Aruna, however, knew that only one of them would be tribe leader, and he feared their competitive natures would in time reveal something more serious.

Their very favorite thing was to fly. They spent much of every day soaring through the skies, chasing clouds, chasing each other, laughing, and screaming. There were times throughout the day when Aruna, charioteer to the sun god, could almost expect to delight in the sound of his sons’ games as they whirled by not far below. But this, Aruna’s delight, was the sun god’s irritation. He’d grown tired of their noise when he had to concentrate on focusing his rays literally all day. “Could you tell those chickens to keep it down, PLEASE?” he would say to Aruna. Or, “You should send them out to play at night… in the dark… alone, like other eagle fathers.” But Aruna understood these to be jokes, so he gave the boys lighthearted warnings, and the sun god’s agitation only continued.

One day, young Sampathi and Jatayu were perched together on a tree far removed from the village, serious and somber as those two ever were. They had just been fully informed that one of them would be chosen to be tribe leader when they were to come of age. The news made the two of them uncomfortable, and they were not quite sure what to say to each other.

Finally, Sampathi spoke up. “Jatayu, let’s play a game like always.”

Jatayu was only too eager to act on his brother’s suggestion, hoping it would dissolve the discomfort. “What kind of game did you have in mind, brother?”

Sampathi thought for a moment and said, “Let’s see who can fly the highest.”

Both brothers knew their father had always warned them to be careful and to never fly too close to the sun god. But Jatayu didn’t want his brother to seem braver than him. Bravery is an important quality for a tribe leader. So he readily agreed and took off for the stars. Sampathi quickly followed, and before they knew it, they were higher in the sky than they had ever been. Growing uneasy, Jatayu shot his brother a glance to see if he was slowing. Sampathi did the same, and since neither brother showed signs of yielding, neither did. Sampathi noticed he was falling behind, so he began to taunt Jatayu, and Jatayu taunted back until the sound of eagles’ caws filled the sky. The sun god heard the clamor, and he was enraged to see how close this clash was taking place. Now at the very boundary of his patience, the sun god unleashed his blazing energy on the nearest brother.

Sampathi watched as the sun god directed his beams at Jatayu. He felt a sudden sense of shame for jeering his brother to try to get ahead and for suggesting the game in the first place. In a panic, he flew in front of Jatayu and spread his wings, taking the heat of the sun god’s strike.

Sampathi, feathers burnt to ash, went crashing down to earth. He woke up on a mountain, a charred heap of bird bones. He remained on that mountain, broken and unable to fly, for many, many years until he heard the name of Rama spoken aloud. Jatayu went on to become the tribe leader and a good friend of Dasharatha, Rama’s father, as well as a good friend of Rama himself. But as a consequence of their constant need to compete, Sampathi and Jatayu never saw each other again.

(Jatayu with Rama)

Author’s Note: I chose to elaborate on Sampathi’s story about him and Jatayu because it reminded me of the story of Icarus flying too close to the sun. My roommate and I joke when we get excited about homework solutions that turn out to be wrong that we flew too close to the sun, so I wanted to write about that this week. I didn’t make a lot of changes from Sampathi’s story; I just wanted to expand it from a simple explanation of his deformity to a more emotional tale about competitive brothers.

Bibliography: Narayan, R.K. (1972). The Ramayana.

Week 3 Reading Diary B: Battle and Conclusion

A particular episode I liked in this reading was the building of the bridge to Lanka. I thought it was neat how animals dragged rocks and things into the ocean to help Rama across. The author mentions that even squirrels rolled pebbles for the construction, which is kind of cute (147).

Hanuman is a great character. I liked when Ravana punished Hanuman’s trespassing by lighting his tail on fire, and Hanuman used it against him by burning all of Lanka to ash with it. That is for sure making the best of a bad situation. And after Rama has been poisoned during battle, Hanuman carries him on his shoulders to fight Ravana. At the end of the story, after the battle, Hanuman is swift enough to reach Bharata to deliver Rama’s message before he immolates himself. Hanuman’s just kind of a rockstar and, no doubt, invaluable to Rama.

(Rama and Hanuman fighting Ravana)

One part I took special note of was when the author said, “During his narration the story-teller would not miss any chance for a contemporary reference. He would compare the Pushpak Vimana to a modern airliner, with the additional capacities that it could be piloted by mere thought and that its space could expand to accommodate as many as would want to get into it” (169). When brainstorming for my storybook, I was thinking I might want to try to work around some sort of contemporary framework, so I liked the passage. It inspired a lot of ideas I intend to further consider in the next few weeks as I start to set up my storybook.

Week 3 Reading Diary A: Rama Prepares a Rescue

My favorite character from this reading assignment was Hanuman. He is so wise and dedicated, and he doesn’t ever give up on helping Rama. And the author frequently mentions his amazing powers, but he is still very humble. I know from my Week 2 Topics Brainstorm research that Hanuman is a super important character in the Ramayana. I also know we’ll read about him again in Mahabharata.

(Hanuman slaying demons)

I also really liked Sampathi and Jambavan. They don’t appear a lot in the reading, but I think they’re vital to the story. Sampathi’s aid was invaluable; Hanuman may never have found Sita without the information he gave him. And Jambavan helped him realize his power to cross the sea to Lanka, so that Hanuman could actually get to her. The rescue seems sort of hopeless until they show up, but their assistance really reinvigorates the plot. They are very necessary and helpful characters.

One part of the reading that really caught my attention was Hanuman and Angada’s brief journey underground (131-132). Described with such brevity—only a couple of paragraphs—the two discover an incredible city below the surface with only a single inhabitant, a woman who had been a goddess but was doomed to stay there alone until she was found. And then they leave. I think it would be neat for the Storytelling assignment this week to elaborate on this story because it’s definitely interesting enough to expand it.

Indian Epics Topics Brainstorm

1. Possible Topic: Hanuman. So far in the reading, I really like Hanuman’s character. Also, there is a lot of good content to work with for a storybook centered around him. From what I have found, he has a variety of different birth stories, which could work well for a storybook too. I looked at some of the past storybooks about Hanuman, and they were really neat.
Research so far. At this point, I have read about Hanuman’s first interactions with Rama. According to the Wikipedia page, Hanuman is in both Ramayana and Mahabharata, so I’m sure I can find plenty of good stories to retell about him throughout the semester. I read on there that in one version of his birth story, a kite took some of the rice Dasharatha had given to his wives to conceive Rama and his brothers, and a woman caught some of the rice and ate it, thereby conceiving Hanuman. That is very interesting, and I would like to look into it more. I also think that the story about mistaking the sun for a mango would be good for retelling.

2. Possible Topic: Animal Avatars of Vishnu. This seems like a good, focused topic. I could write a story about each of his animal avatars, but the whole book would still be centered around Vishnu. I think that would help me maintain a strong core theme. Also, I just like animal stories in general, so I think this would be a really fun project.
Research so far. The only avatars of Vishnu I have read about in the Ramayana so far are Rama and Vamana the dwarf. I looked at the Wikipedia page for the Dashavatara, the ten avatars of Vishnu, and I found some information about the following avatars: Matsya, a fish; Kurma, a tortoise; Varaha, a boar; and Narasimha, half-man, half-lion. Each of these avatars has a very interesting story I think would be fun to retell.

(Avatars of Vishnu. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons)

3. Possible Topic: Birth Stories. The birth stories I have read so far were fascinating. For example, the story of Vishnu’s incarnation as Rama was neat, and Hanuman alone has several interesting birth stories. I like the idea of writing my storybook about birth stories because they’re very imaginative, and they would also give my book a creation theme. There’s something kind of happy about new life, so it would make for a fun book.
Research so far. I haven’t read very many birth stories so far in the class readings, but I think I’ll come across more in the next several weeks in the rest of Ramayana as well as Mahabharata. I looked through a couple of past storybooks on birth stories and death stories, and they were really fun. I think this theme would be a good focus for a neat project.

4. Possible Topic: Brothers and Sisters. One of the themes that strikes me most so far about The Ramayana is Rama’s close relationship with his brothers. I think it would be interesting to explore the different dynamics of brotherhood. I could contrast Rama and his brothers with less forgiving brothers like Sugriva and Vali. I would also like to look into exploring the brother-sister relationships in the stories. I have a brother I’m pretty close with, so that might be something I would find very personally interesting.
Research so far. I have read a lot about Rama and his brothers so far. I think I could write several stories based on them alone. In particular, I liked the episode where Rama and Bharata argued because they each wanted the other to be king. I have also read about Ravana and his sister at this point, as well as Sugriva and Vali. I looked at the Wikipedia pages for the brother-sister pairs, and they were pretty brief in terms of the relationships between them, so I think I will need to find other sources for those.

Week 2 Storytelling: Sukracharya and the Dwarf

(The Dwarf, an incarnation of Vishnu. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons)

It was just when Sukracharya had brought Mahabali to the height of power that it was all ruined by a man for whom height had never been an advantage. For years, he served as Mahabali’s advisor, guiding him through the takeovers of many vast kingdoms. By his lead, Mahabali had become the most powerful man in this world. Mahabali had almost entire control of everything to all corners of the earth, and Sukracharya had almost entire control of Mahabali. Almost.

Eventually, Sukracharya began to hear rumors among the people that many of the subjected rulers were discontented with their over ruler, to the point of hostile recourse. This news put him on his guard, and he became wary of any sort of tricks intended to bring down Mahabali. Certain he could himself take care of any sort of uprising and seeing no need to cause him worry, Sukracharya made sure Mahabali was not aware of the rumors. He knew that confidence was key for leading such a sprawling empire, and he also knew that a level of ignorance was key for such confidence. Maintaining a reassuring degree of subtlety, Sukracharya took special precautions by gradually increasing guards, preparing secret emergency strategies, and accompanying Mahabali in any and all meetings and dealings.

So when a diminutive man of Brahmin origin arrived to speak with Mahabali, Sukracharya, guarded and suspicious as ever, was not so easily impressed as the king was. Although he seemed charming and gracious, the dwarf also exuded an air of great power that alarmed him. Mahabali noticed it too, but he felt more privilege than alarm, so much so that he made a promise to the small and remarkable individual before him that he would grant any one of his desires. At this, a sick sense of panic spread over Sukracharya. Wise in the ways and in the history of empirical rule, he knew that such extreme vows had the capability of triggering the demise of even the most powerful kings. He pulled Mahabali aside and warned him against such drastic generosity, but Mahabali was enraged that Sukracharya, who had usually always given him such sound advice, would try to hinder his kindness now.

Mahabali proceeded with his promise, and he was surprised when the dwarf asked for a piece of land no bigger than three of his own tiny stride lengths. Only too eager to grant such a simple request, Mahabali began to enact a water oath by pouring water on the small man’s hand. Sukracharya, however, now certain of trickery, used his magic to turn into a bee. He flew into the spout of the water vase and used all his might to block the water from coming out. He was pleased with himself for successfully obstructing the opening, and thereby thwarting the deal. To his surprise, though, the dwarf struck him with a piece of grass and he came tumbling out the vase.

As he sat up, returning to his normal size, he was horrified to discover that the blade of grass had pierced his eye, rendering him half-blind. Through his good eye, he saw the water hit the dwarf’s hand, and instantly he transformed into a giant. Claiming the king’s prize, he took two strides to take back the heavens and the earth. And Sukracharya watched as, with his third promised step, he squashed Mahabali to his death.



Author’s Note:
     I selected Mahabali’s Story from Narayan’s Ramayana to retell from this week’s reading because I thought it would be interesting to tell it from a different perspective, that of the meddling advisor Sukracharya. I thought that the part of the story where he turns into a bee was really noteworthy, but it was only briefly mentioned parenthetically, so I wanted to elaborate on that and make him the main character in my retelling.
     I was able to find a good picture of Vamana, the dwarf incarnation of Vishnu. I think it represents well how non-threatening and unassuming his appearance was. To me, this adds to the believability that Mahabali would make such grand promises to someone he had only just met without any worry.
     I decided to leave out the dwarf's true identity (Vishnu) just because of the perspective I was telling it from. I really wanted the story to be centered around Sukracharya's point of view, and I thought that he would not have known who the dwarf-turned-giant was until well after the fact. The whole occurrence would have happened very quickly, and he had just been left half-blind as the dwarf was assuming his more godlike form. So I tried not to include any information in the story that Sukracharya would not have known himself.

Bibliography: Narayan, R.K. (1972). The Ramayana.

Week 2 Reading Diary B: Rama’s Exile in the Forest

Again, Rama’s relationship with his brothers really resonated with me. I particularly liked the part where Bharata and Rama argued about who would be king, each trying to persuade the other of his right to the throne. I like the author’s explanation of it: “In a world where we are accustomed to rivalries over possession, authority, and borders, and people clashing over the issue, ‘Ours,’ or ‘Mine, not yours,’ it is rather strange to find two people debating whose kingdom is not, and asserting: ‘Yours, not mine’” (80). Lakshmana, too, is so devoted to Rama that he followed him into exile and swore to be his personal bodyguard. There is no rivalry between any of the brothers. They only fight to be more supportive of each other. As far as I have read in other texts (which, admittedly, is not much to boast about), this is very unique between brothers.

Although I think I will retell a story from Reading A for this week, it would definitely be interesting to further explore the story of the golden deer. Maricha recounts for Ravana the first time he used this tactic to attack Rama, but it might be neat to retell it with more detail, particularly how it affects his character development. After his failure, he tried to lead a good and moral life, which is quite a drastic change from his earlier behavior and deeds. That would make for a good story, I think.

 

(Maricha and Ravana. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Week 2 Reading Diary A: Starting the Ramayana

One of the things that struck me most about this portion of the reading was how much everyone loves Rama. Even his brothers. From what I have seen and read in other media, brothers from royal families traditionally endure deep-seated rivalry, sometimes overt and sometimes undetectable at the start. A good modern example I can think of is Thor and Loki in the Marvel comics and movies. But Rama’s brothers really support him and want him to be king. Lakshmana claims he’ll fight the whole world to make Rama king. Kaikeyi is even afraid to tell Bharata about her changes to the coronation plans until after Rama has been exiled because of how devoted he is to Rama. It makes sense that everyone would love Rama because he is a heroic figure, so what meant most to me in regard to his popularity was his relationship with his brothers.

(Rama and Lakshmana. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons)

There were a lot of episodes that would make for good storytelling, particularly the stories Vishvamitra told during their journey. When I have to retell one later this week, I think I’ll focus on the one about Mahabali and the Dwarf (36). That would be manageable for me, and I think I can do something interesting with the advisor who turned into a bee to stop the water oath. Perhaps I will retell it with him as the main character, because his ability to shrink down to the size of a bee was only briefly mentioned, but it could be neat to explore further.