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(There is a difference between an Asian and African elephant. Since this story is focused on an elephant, I thought a picture of a traditional Asian elephant might help the reader visualize better. Source can be linked here) Bhima knew it would be hard to defeat Drona as long as he had a bond between his son. Drona's paternal instinct to protect was how he was able to fight so fiercely and for so long. Bhima set out to create a plan that would trick Drona into thinking Ashwatthaman was dead, so he would not have to take his son's life without reason. He decided that no one or thing would be killed, he would simply announce a death using Drona's son's name. "Everyone! Our beloved Ashwatthaman has been shot with an arrow!" yelled Bhima. He continuously shouted this around the town square. All the townspeople whispered and were shocked. Ashwatthaman would regularly come to the town and talk with everyone. Just a three days prior, he came in town purchas

(Image of one of the battles between the Pandavas and Kauravas, image can be sourced  here ) The Kauravas and Pandavas continue to fight. Arjuna shoots Bhishma with a bow and arrow and ends up killing him. Drona takes over Duyodhana's forces. He tries to make Yudhishthira but Arjuna protects him. The war is pretty gory and many are dying. Duryodhana leaves in the midst of it because he is injured. Yet the battle continues fiercely, with Arjuna's own son dying. Arjuna vows to kill his his son's killer and does. Bhima's son dies due to Karna, leaving the Pandavas sad and Kauravas happy. The Pandavas want to create a plan to out-trick Drona. A plan was to slay an elephant with the same name as Drona's son. After announcing that the elephant (with Drona's son's name) was dead, Drona become depressed about the supposed death of his beloved son-which was not true. This made him vulnerable, which the Pandavas could use to their advantage. Dhrishtadyu

(photo of the Pandavas and Draupadi, image can be sourced  here ) The Pandavas and Draupadi are exiled for 12 years after losing a match (you would think there are better ways to handle this). They are able to get by by the Surya, a God, and practicing faith.   Arjuna has a boar attack him so in response tries to attack back when he notices it has already been struck by an arrow. The guy who shot the arrow and he argue who "owns" the boar. He obtains some weapons from the Gods after praying. Later  Unvashi punishes him to live among women as an entertainer. In 5 years, he performs this entertainment curse but also learns how to use the weapons received ultimately to defeat a difficult war. In return, his father praises and rewards him. Arjuna now has kind of separated and leads his own life. The other 4 brothers and Draupadi are still exiled despite words of encouragement and wisdom.  Bhima finds Hanuman unknowingly while picking lotuses for Draupadi. He i

Why You Don't Need to Put Everything in Your Book  By: Amanda Patterson The main advice this article gives is: too many characters, too many settings, too many plots, and keep it simple. The author talks about how many writers, especially new writers, try to fit too much information into their stories which can be overwhelming for readers but also lead authors to not finish their books. I definitely struggle with this in all forms of writing (essays, this class's blog assignments, etc). I definitely struggle with adding as many details as possible in my writing. I do this because I overthink my words, feeling that the slight variances can convey totally different meanings. I think structure and flow are important, but too many details can be redundant. Readers tend to think of the larger picture when reading, so being concise is easier. This takes practice, and sometimes can be hard to do by oneself. I think peer reviews are a great way to help with this. (f

(Photo of actress Pooja Sharma starring as Draupadi in a rendition of Star Plus's rendition of the Mahabharata. Photo can be sourced  here ) ** bold indicates new characters being introduced. We are reminded of Prince Vidura (the other brother of Pandu and Dhritarashtra). He had a 'common' mother so can't rule despite him being just as smart as his brothers (even though being wise doesn't really pertain to dynasties) and sees what Duryodhana is doing. Yudhishthira listened to Vidura and realized what danger they were from Duryohdhana. The Pandavas and Kunti arrive to a palace, admiring its beauty, but it is Yudhishthira that realizes everything is drenched in oil so it can burn. He tells his brothers and mother of Vidura's warning and tells them about the oil. Vidura thought if there was an underground passage, the Pandavas and Kunti could escape. He helped create this passage but skillfully so no one would find out. They escaped but Bhima went back to

(I added a picture of the geography of the Ganges river because it is referred to a lot in the Mahabharata . Image can be sourced  here ) I read the PDE version of the Mahabharata because that is the most easily accessible for me and worked well with the Ramayana.  There is a lot of family webs so I will try to explain them from what I understand from the reading. There was definitely a lot to digest so writing it out in a way I can understand helps me to better know what's going on. I've also attached a family tree from the story I Googled below to refer to. I have bolded  new characters when they are introduced. (I found this image by googling 'Mahabharata family tree'; This image provides a visualization to the complex family dynamics in the Mahabharata that my blog readers can refer to hopefully. Image can be sourced  here )  The readers learns that Ganesha scribed the Mahabharata and  Vyasa  arranged the Vedas; he repeated it to a disciple and

(Photo of Ravana and Sita, obtained through Google search and can be found  here ) ****perspective of Sita***** Its been months since I have last seen my lovely Rama, and oh how I miss him. I miss seeing his sweet face, him holding me to remind me I am protected from the dangers of the jungle. I get solace looking up at the night sky, knowing Rama is looking at the same stars and moon, and that one day we can look at them together. Ravana's soothing tone sometimes tempts me to succumb, shamefully I admit, but I know Rama wouldn't leave me here. After everything we have been through and everything I have given up. He knows how dearly I love my family and how hard my decision was to follow him, he values that and I know that.  I saw Hanuman about a month ago, but a whole month has passed, but still nothing. My greatest fear would be that he told Rama of me, and Rama could care less. We will see. ******a few weeks later****** I'm still lonely waiting for Rama

(One of the video stills from the movie, Sita Sings the Blues ; can be obtained  here ) I watched Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. The movie makes some great points. For one, how wrong it was for Rama to banish her after proving herself after the fire test. Sita was taken against her will, and the very fact she was left her life to follow him but also was willing to do the test shows her love and how much she values Rama's opinion. Yet, it still can be understandable why Rama had fears and if this test would dispel it, that seems kind of fair. The fact even after she has proven herself, Rama doesn't reciprocate the same feelings. This is sad, but the film also points out how Sita was too devoted to Rama. He never asked her to leave her family, and she wants to be with him so she knowingly took on this burden herself when she did not have to. I will admit, before the movie, I mostly considered Sita's position because I feel there is always this standard for women

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(Sita with Kusha and Lava, can be sourced  here ) (Photo of Sita, can be sourced  here ) The year is 2019 and the setting is a cocktail party in a wealthy neighborhood of Los Angeles. The main character, Rama, is nervous because he will be meeting his ex-fiancé after 8 years. Rama had his big break 8 years ago but it was his management company that thought having a fiancé would ruin his image. Despite all their history together and her devotion to him throughout his struggling acting career, she felt if her departure helped him succeed as an actor she would do so, which she did. The fact is, even after all these years, there has not been a day Rama hasn't thought about his beloved ex-fiancé Sita. From all the red carpets, endorsement campaigns, film appearances, he still yearned to share these experiences with his eternal love. His love with Sita was something eternal, and he knew he lost something. He had wanted to contact her over the years to check up, but she was n

(Rama and Sita, can be sourced  here ) A divine artisan builds a bridge for Rama and his army to cross to Lanka. Rama is able to defeat Ravana's army and save Sita. Vibhishana uses light for Ravana's funeral.  However, Rama has doubts about her purity after living with Ravana for a year for which she sets herself on fire with the help of Agni (fire goddess) to prove her purity, which she passes. Rama returns home but is now forced to send Sita away because others doubt her purity, after which Lakshmana follows her. She is pregnant and in exile gives birth to Lava and Kusha. She ends up being exiled for 16 years, where she has to raise their children. Rama Even after these 16 years when Rama knows about his children and tries to bring Sita back and prove her purity, she has the Earth take her. She returns to the Heavens.   There are a lot of critques I have now that I am finished. Rama is claimed to be this powerful, good man but he has so much help along the wa

(Hanuman showing Rama his heart. Image can be sourced  here ) * bold  are new characters Hanuman asks Rama and Lakshmana their intentions at the request of Sugriva after seeing them wandering. They answer they are looking for Sita basically, which is when Hanuman recommends Sugriva to help as he had his wife taken by his brother named Vali . Vali and Sugriva battle (which Rama encouraged Sugrive to) but Rama ends up killing Vali with an arrow to end the ongoing war. Sugriva vows then to help Rama look for Sita since Rama is exiled. Rama wants the search to happen faster and Lakshmana tries to angrily tell Sugriva to hurry up. The monkeys look everywhere for Sita but she can not be found until they find Sampati (brother of Jatayu-Sita's friend) who directs them. Hanuman ends up sacrificing a boon in order to find Sita which makes him unable to choose his own death. He crosses the ocean to find Ravana asleep but still no Sita. After crossing Ashoka he find

(Picture of a thumbs up and thumbs down, meant to symbolize feedback. Can be sourced  here ) The two articles I read was  Be a Mirror  and  Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise?  I thought both gave insight into why specific, not just 'positive' feedback is important and how simply positive impact can be detrimental.  As discussed earlier, negative feedback is hard to swallow. By educating ourselves on what is good, constructive feedback, we can actually service others improve and limit their doubt. Have you ever had someone compliment you and you think "well they are just saying that..",? Or even  your most blunt friends, as harsh as their words are, trust their opinion more because you know they are being honest? That is it, we need to find a way to proper communicate to better ourselves. Being able to better communicate to others helps us understand feedback so not be so hurt by negative feedback, and also hopefully have others reciprocate.  I didn

(Ravana and Sita, image can be sourced  here ) Right now, I am between the Ravana and Maya topics. I chose Ravana for this project because I found more resources I would be able to use, but I'm hoping as we continue reading I have some more Maya stories I can use. Three stories I could use:  Ravana and Sita ,  The Golden Deer , and the comic  The Lord of Lanka: The Rise and Fall of a Demon King . Ravana and Sita: I think if you read the Ramayana in chronological order (like we have for this class) you are probably against Ravana. But when reading this story by itself, you can't help but feel bad for Ravana in a way. He is admiring Sita and Sita first confides in him believing he is a brahmin but when she finds out Ravana is not a brahmin and likes her, she basically shuts him down in one of the most humiliating and hurtful ways a crush can turn someone down. Even if someone does not like love stories, I think heart-break is relatable as well. Ravana may not have th