Reading Diary B - Week 12

-Arjuna turns down Urvashi so she curses him

-Indra teaches Arjuna the use of divine weapons

-Bhima tells the story of Mankanak

-Yudhishthira tells the story of Rishyashringa

-The Pandavas go to Mount Kailasa

-Manibhadra- lord of yaks has

-Vaishravana- treasure lord

-Arjuna rejoins his brothers on earth

-12th year of exile - the Pandavas go to Dhritarashtra's kingdom

-Chitraratha traps Duryodhana but the Pandavas rescue him

-Jayadratha- husband of Duhsala and brother-in-law of Duryodhana

-Jayadratha tries to kidnap Draupadi but the Pandavas catch him. They end up releasing him.

-Krishna and Vyasa go to visit the Pandavas in the woods

-Vyasa tells the story of Savitri at Draupadi's request

Reading Diary A - Week 12

-Pandavas arrive to the poker match
-Yudhishthira stakes himself, his brothers, and Draupadi
-Duryodhana tries to publicly humiliate Draupadi
-Draupadi makes a wish that all the brother's and herself are freed and it's granted
-The panadvas lose again and have to move into exile

-Arjuna meets his father Indra in the forest

-Nala- king of Nishada
-Damayanti- daughter of Vidarbha
-Damayanti chose to marry Nala, but the eveil spirit Kali vowed to ruin their happiness

-Pushkara- Nala's brother
-Kali made Pushkara challenge Nala to a game of dice
-Nala lost everything to Pushkara
-Nala decided to leave Damayanti
-Damayanti kept looking for Nala
-She finally went to her father and he promised to search for Nala

-Karkotaka bit Nala, turning him into an ugly person
-Nala became King Rituparna's charioteer

-Parnada found Nala and went to tell Damayanti
-Damayanti sent her maid to find Nala and Nala returned to Damayanti

Famous Last Words - Week 11

I cannot believe this weekend is already Halloween. Next thing we know, it'll be Christmas and then Spring Break and then we'll be done. This school year is flying by. And this year is scarier than all the past years because I have to enter to real world after this. I'm too young to be a grown-up, right?

This class is going pretty good. Nothing new really...i've been doing okay keeping up and my storybook is going in the right direction.
I added a little more to my plate when I signed up for an 8-week online class: Conflict Resolution. I think I mentioned that in my previous Famous Last Words post. It doesn't seem like it's going to be too much more work though, which is nice. Plus I like online classes. It gives you more freedom to run on your own schedule. However, you are more accountable for getting your stuff done. You aren't going to class every week and there is no one reminding you you have something due at a certain time.
The rest of my classes are going good. I had a test and a quiz yesterday. I think they went okay. Knock on wood.

I went home last weekend and thank God I did. My parents surprised me with a new car! It's an early graduation present because my old car wasn't running so well anymore. I'm absolutely obsessed with it. I try and think of errands to run just as an excuse to drive it.

I am still not sure what I am going to do this weekend for Halloween. Honestly, I am not the biggest fan of Halloween. I don't understand it. I like Christmas and Thanksgiving. However, I usually do something anyway.
One thing I know I want to do this weekend is see Gone Girl. I have been begging my boyfriend to go with me and this weekend i'm going with or without him.

That's all that I can think of for now
Till next time.....

Google Images

Weather Widget Tech Tip

This week I put a weather gadget in my blog! I like it there, it makes it a little different. Slash I am always looking at the weather forecast on my phone (I am dying for a storm) and now I can look at the weather and do my Indian Epics homework at the same time!
Very neat little trick.
Everyone else should get one.

Storytelling: A Bedtime Story - Week 11

"Time for bed little one."
She defiantly shook her head. She was at that age where bedtime and eating her vegetables were the worst things in her small world.
"Come on. I will tell you a bedtime story."
After much consideration she grabbed her pink stuffed bunny and sleepily walked towards her bed. Success.
She climbed into bed and I pulled the sheets up to her little chin. I sat on the edge of her bed and stroked her forehead. He eyes were heavy but he she was trying so hard to stay awake.

She had heard this story plenty times before but it never ceased to amaze her.

"Okay here we go. Once upon a time there was a king who lived in a far away land. He loved his wife very much and he would often dream about her when he wasn't with her. He knew his wife always wanted a little girl of her own. He loved her so much that he decided to give her her wish."

"Like me?"

" Like you. So one day, he asked the stork to bring his wife a baby girl. The stork said yes because delivering babies was his job. He picked out the sweetest little baby he could find."

"Did a stork carry me to you daddy?"

"Yes Emma. The stork wrapped the baby up in a blanket and started on his way. As he was crossing the ocean, he got distracted by a fish jumping in the water and he dropped the baby!"

"Then what daddy?!"

"Close your eyes Emma. Good. The baby fell from the air and dropped right into the mouth of a big fish! The baby was so small that she slipped right to his tummy. She lived there until one day a fisherman caught the fish. He found the little girl and decided to raise her as his own. He named her Satyavati."

Her little head fell to the side. She was finally asleep.

I kissed her on the forehead and quietly made my way to the door.

"Do they live happily ever after daddy?" She whispered.

"Yes Emma. They live happily ever after."

Google Images

Authors Note:
I did my story based on the story of the king of Chedi and his attempt at sending his semen to his wife. I thought it would be fun to tell this story as a bedtime story. Therefore, I had to make it very kid friendly. I changed the hawk to a stork and the semen to a baby. I was using the old wise tale that storks carried babies wrapped in blankets.

Reading Diary B: In Disguise - Week 11

Duryodhana and Duhshasana plan a fire trap to kill the Pandavas. However, they get word of it and escape - leaving 6 corpses behind making everyone think they have died.

They move to a new village.
Vyasa arrives and says he is going to take the brothers to Draupadi (the daughter of king Drupada)
Arjuna is the only one able to win king Drupada's test. Therefore, he gets to marry the daughter. The brothers always share so they all end up marrying Draupadi.

The Pandavas build the city of Indraprastha
Arjuna falls in love with Subhadra and they marry

Agni- fire god
Arjuna and Krishna hold off Indra while Agni burns the forest to eat. He rewards them.
Arjuna protects Maya, architect of the gods, from the fire. In return, he builds the Pandavas a palace.

Duryodhana challenges Yudhishthira to a game of dice and he accepts.

Reading Diary A: Bucks' Mahabharata - Week 11

This week we started Buck's Mahabharata.

The story begins with an Invocation to Narayana (Vishnu.)

Vyasa- composer
Ganesha- scribe
Saraswati- goddess of words and writing

Sauti says Vyasa composed the Mahabharata in his mind and then asked the elephant-headed god Ganesha to wrote down what Vyasa said.

Vishnu proposed that the gods churn the ocean to obtain amrita (nectar of immortality)
Many things came up:
Lakshmi the goddess of good fortune and Vishnu's heavenly consort; Rambha (the first apsara) Airavata (Indra's vehicle), and the wish-giving cow.

Parikshit- had a curse put on him when he killed a serpent 
He went into hiding to avoid getting killed but the naga prince found a killed him.

Parikshit's son planned to avenge his father's death. Therefore, the prince went to heaven to seek refuge. 

Vyasa asks Vaishampayana to recite the story of the Mahabharata.

Ganga and Shantanu (reincarnated king) fall in love.
Thye have children and Ganga throws each child into the Ganges river and Shantanu never questioned until the eighth child. He begs her to let the eighth child lives, he is named Bhishma.

Vyasa- child of Satyavati and Parashara's child
King Shantanu marries Satuavati later on
Vichitravirya- son of Shantanu and Satyavati
Bhishma obtains three wives for Vichitravirya: Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika
Dhirtarashtra - son of Ambika and Vyasa 
Pandu - son of Ambalika and Vyasa
Vidura - son of a maidservant and Vyasa.

Kunti obtained the gift to summon a god and have a son with them whenever she pleases.
Pandu is cursed so the next time he makes loves, he dies so he goes away.
Therefore, Dhritarashtra becomes king.
Duryodhana- son of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari.

Yudhishthira- son of Kunti and Yama 
Bhima- son of Vayu and Kunti
Arjuna- son of Indra and Kunti 
Makula and Sahadeva- sons of Madri and Ashwins (twin gods)

Pandu dies when he makes love to Kunti.
They have five sons: the Pandavas.

Ashwatthaman- son of Kripi and Drona
Drona became the Pandava's teacher
Arjuna (Pandava) is the only one able to pass Drona's test
Arjuna goes and captures King Drapudi at Dona's request
Karna matches Marjuna's skills but is not from a royal family.