Animal Avatars of Vishnu: Styles Brainstorm

Topic. I want to write my storybook about some of the avatars of Vishnu, specifically his animal avatars. From last week’s research, I know there are at least four really interesting stories about Vishnu while he was incarnated as different animals, so I think this will be a good, focused topic. The Wikipedia article for the Dashavatara, or the ten avatars of Vishnu, lists a fish, a tortoise, a boar, and a half-man/half-lion, and briefly explains stories for each. I think all four are stories I want to tell, which could fill a whole storybook. The story about Matsya, the fish, reminds me of the story of Noah’s ark, so I’m very interested in retelling that one. I also like the story of Narasimha, the half-man/half-lion, because it’s really a story of loop-holes, and I think I can make that fun.

(Vishnu as Matsya the fish. Web Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography:
1. Dashavatara. Website: Wikipedia.
2. Matsya. Website: Wikipedia.
3. Narasimha. Website: Wikipedia.

Possible Styles:

Interview with Vishnu. I could tell the stories of these early avatars of Vishnu through a first-person interview with him. That way, I could write the stories from his perspective, and the reader could hear them in his own voice. Through an interview, I can vary the tones in each story. For example, I read that when he battled a demon in the form of a boar, the battle lasted a thousand years before he finally won. So maybe he would be more bitter about that story and more proud of some of the others.

Pushpaka Vimana Frametale. The tale would take place on a spaceship named after the Pushpaka Vimana in the Ramayana. I wrote in one of my Reading Diaries about this. The idea comes based on this quote: “During his narration the story-teller would not miss any chance for a contemporary reference. He would compare the Pushpaka 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). If I went with this, I would like to set it way in the future as a way to show how important these stories are—they would still be told thousands of years after they were first told and written down. With this, there are different ways I could weave in the animal avatars. Perhaps the crew is telling Vishnu stories. Or maybe different rooms in the ship are named after the avatars. Or the planets the ship is visiting. There are a lot of possibilities for this.

Zoo Trip Frametale. I had the idea that maybe the stories would be framed around a modern day zoo trip. I would go along the lines of a parent telling their kid each avatar story based on which exhibit they are looking at. So when they pass by the lions, the parent would talk about Narasimha, and so on for each animal incarnation. This would be a fun frame for me personally because I have a lot of fond memories of going to the zoo as a kid.

Basic Anthology. Since this is a very focused topic with a specific theme, I could do a simple anthology. As an unnamed storyteller, I could introduce the topic, the animal avatars of Vishnu, and then write a general description of Vishnu’s relevance in Indian Epics, as well as in Indian culture. Then I could tell the stories, and if I focused on writing those really well, then a basic anthology, though less exciting than my other ideas, might be plenty effective.

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.