Portfolio Guide

The brothers - This is the story about four brothers who fight and also love each other. This story relates to the relationship of brothers that is reflected in the story of Ramayana PDE Version.

When Rama was Angry - This is the story about Rama, when he wanted to go across the sea to Lanka, where Ravana had taken Sita.

A normal life - This is the story of therapy in session. This story relates with the conversation that Arjuna and Krishna had in the battle field of Mahabharata, after Arjuna hesitated to fight against his family members.

The Choice  - Annie Besant writes about the time when the Pandava brothers gets ready to leave Hastinapur. This is just my version of the same story.

Week 11 Storytelling: The Choice

My name is Bhima. Thirty years ago, I was in grade five. We were best friends. His name is Duryodhana. We used to go to the school together, study together, eat, play and visit parks. For me he was the day and night. We spent most of our time together as a child.

                  My father was a Police. His name is Pandu. While I was in grade 5, he got a job transfer and we moved from Norman to Kansas City. From that day I never saw Duryodhana again till today.

                  I am driving towards the Kansas City police department in my police car. I took my father’s job after he retired. I have him on the back seat, Duryodhana. He knows it is me, Bhima. I don’t know his story.

                  After we moved to Kansas City, I missed my dear friend Duryodhana. I had no other option but to make other friends. I made three new friends and life moved on. We four friends always kept out of trouble, walked in a path of what our parents wanted us to follow, went to church every Sunday. Our main goal was to be good because that what our parents taught us to be.

                  I could not resist but to ask Duryodhana of where did he go wrong. He story began with a new friend named Dushashana that he made after I left with my parents. Dushashana had a bad record from childhood of bullying other friends and fighting with other students for no particular reason. Slowly but surely Duryodhana was like him. As they grew up they started doing the same with the strangers while walking down the road.

                  Last night Duryodhana and his friend was walking down their street and doing what they had been doing for last thirty years. There was a huge fight and someone ended up in hospital. He flew away from the scene.

                  Today I got a call from one of the bar in the city that they had spotted the man who is wanted in the news. I rushed there in my car and now Duryodhana, my best friend of fifth grade is the passenger of my car.

                  I remember the story that I read in one of my class from Annie Besant, the thirteen years of exile. It was the story about the Mahabharata and I remember reading that our behaviors are like diseases that could transfer from one person to other. I remember the part of the story where it emphasized that staying around good company would lead you to become a good person and a bad company would lead you to not so good place.

                  Me speaking to Duryodhana:  One thing to remember is that, it is never too late to change. Sometimes we never realize our mistake till the ground beneath us shakes and we fall apart. But we can always stand up and move on start fresh again.

Pandavas
Source: Link

Author’s Note:

 In the story, the thirteen years of exile, Annie Besant writes about the time when the Pandava brothers gets ready to leave Hastinapur. In the story it tells us that what we become depends on who we are now. If we choose a good company and stay around good people we will catch their habits just like a disease and it goes the same with bad company. The book also tells us that we should always surround ourselves with a good company.

This week story is based on this theory of a good company versus a bad company and where it would lead us. I decided to choose two friends as a characters and their choices that they made in their early life and the life they are living when they are in their thirty’s.

Bibliography:

                  Story Title: The Thirteen Years’ of Exile

                  Book Title: The Great War

                  Author: Annie Besant

                  Year of Publication: 1899

Source: Link

Week 7 Story Telling: A normal life

Arjuna is in his early twenties. He is attending college to get his degree in Mathematics. He comes from a poor family and is struggling very hard to manage his tuition. He lives a thousand miles away from his parents.

Krishna is a friend of Arjuna. He is the noble one among all of the other friends of Arjuna. Krishna is a very calm, knowledgeable and smart person.

This is the story about Arjuna. Arjuna is struggling in his life. He has to manage all the expenses of his life on his own. He wants to be with his family, but they live far away from where he lives. Arjuna is always missing his home and family and wants to be with them. He is always in a deep battle within his mind. His mind wants him to leave everything that he has where he is, and go live with his family. He wants to give up in his life. He is sad and unhappy about his situation. He also thinks that he is not utilizing his time properly and should be with his parents rather than by himself for pursuing his dreams. He doesn’t know if he is doing the right thing in life.

Krishna knew about all of the emotions that Arjuna was going through. He wants to help Arjuna overcome his situation. Krishna then decides to meet Arjuna, and then drives to Arjuna’s place. After getting to Arjuna’s place, they both sit down on a sofa and start talking.

Krishna: Arjuna, I know your situation. I can totally understand you and what you are dealing with in your life with. Let me help you!

Arjuna: Krishna, there is no one that can help me beside my parents. I want to be with them.

Krishna: Listen! You are here for your dreams, right?

Arjuna: Yes.

Krishna: You do not have any other college that can offer you the quality education that this college provides, correct?

Arjuna: Yes.

Krishna: The path that you have chosen for yourself is what god has planned for you. This is your destiny. Life is about doing what you are here for. It is just a matter of time and you will be with them eventually. It is your Dharma. You are here to do what you have to. So, don't think twice about it.

Arjuna: I know I have to fulfill my dreams but what about my parents? They are old and they need me to take care of them. If anything happens to them while I am here I would not forgive myself.

Krishna: Where there is a start, there will be the end. Where there is life, there will be the death. But do not take me wrong here. The life we are living is just a small part of the life that comes after this. 
We have a soul and our body. Our soul is the one that describes who we are. We all are beautiful and so is our soul. This body is just a medium that shelters our soul. When we die, our soul departs our body and finds a different body to shelter in. Think of it as a living soul and a non-living body. Soul never dies. We never die, Arjuna.

Arjuna: Really??? But I think I am not doing the right thing by staying far from my parents.

Krishna: Are you worried that something bad would happen to them because you are here?

Arjuna: Yes!!!

Krishna: In life you have to do what you have to do. You should never wait for the results. Having said that, I am not telling you to do bad things and a crime. I mean to say that you are doing what you are because it is what you want to do. You should never be worried about what will happen in future or worry about what future holds. Do your best, do it from your heart. All that awaits is the heaven, at the end of this life.

Arjuna: I get it now. Thank you, Krishna. I owe you a big time.

Krishna:  Do not thank me. This is what I was here to do and you don’t owe me anything. I didn’t come here to help you thinking I would benefit from you. I am here to show you the right path.

Therapy Session
Source: Link

Author’s Note:

This week I have decided to write a story with the storytelling style of Therapy session. In the Mahabharata Arjuna doesn’t want to fight his own blood. So, he wants to back up and not fight. During this event, Krishna comes to the rescue of Arjuna and gives him a life lesson about why he should fight. Krishna helps Arjuna calm his mind and fight for what is right. Krishna also enlightens Arjuna about what life is and what we are here for. I am writing a story of a character who is troubled and needs help. I have kept the name Arjuna as the troubled character and Krishna as the one who tries to help Arjuna. I have also tried to bring the situation of Mahabharata and compare it to our life. This is the story of a normal human being and his thoughts and fight within himself. I have tried to relate it to a life of a student. Some of us travel from city to city for our studies. We leave our family behind and head towards our dream leaving everyone behind. We move forward with the memories and for some it is hard to decide what to do next without any guidance from the family.

Bibliography:

title of the story: PDE MAHABHARATA

Story Link

author:  Various authors

Week 4 Storytelling: When Rama was angry

I am the ocean. Everybody worships me for my deepness and wideness. No one has ever been able to cross me or sail on me. I am against it. No one can rule me and there is no being in this whole planet that can defeat me. I have swallowed thousands of air vehicles and flipped hundreds of boats. Inside me live my worshipers, my family, my friends and all that I can call mine. Every drop of water in me is a part of me. I am home to many of my friends; they are fishes, tortoises, green plants, rocks, sand, scorpions and everything that you can name. Nagas and Makaras are my brothers that I love dearly. I do have my pet dragon who guards me day and night.

Bridge to Lanka

Image link: Picture

We all knew about Sita being abducted by Ravana, because we saw Ravana pass right above us. My pet dragon tried to stop Ravana but was not able to do so because Ravana could not be destroyed, thanks to a boon he had received from Brahma. I could see Rama right on the shore, anxious, stressed and eagerly waiting for a way to cross me to get to Lanka. When my pet dragon tried to stop Hanuman from crossing me, Hanuman killed my pet dragon. I was sad. I cried the tears of blood and the sky could see it. A few days after Hanuman's leap I saw Rama on the shore silently meditating. I felt his love for Sita and him wanting to cross me. I couldn’t let it happen. I am the ocean and no one can cross me. I just ignored his call and went back to nap. A cool and calm breeze was relaxing me and I was silent. 

Suddenly I heard screams; the fishes were hiding beneath the rocks, the tortoises in their shells, the green plants were busy trying to take their roots off from the sand and the sand and rocks were calling upon the wind to create the wave and carry them away. I got up and saw that Rama was threatening to dry me up and pierce me with his god-given arrows. This is not possible. I am so huge and deep. Rama doesn’t have such a power to do so. I stayed calm. Then again there were shafts piercing me.  One of the shafts hit the rock, blasted it and killed the fish hiding beneath it. The other shaft burned the sand and the plants. I still wasn't convinced that I should help Rama. Then slowly the shafts started hitting my palace. It almost killed the Nagas and Makaras. I started to get a little bit worried. Then I heard Rama say that he would now use the Brahma arrow and dry me up. I could not let it happen and by this time I realized his power. I couldn’t let Rama destroy my whole world. I decided to help Rama. I rose up and bowed to Rama. I agreed to bear the pain of the bridge over me and let him and his army cross me to get to Lanka.

I had to use all of my power to carry the bridge that Rama and his army built on me. Sometimes I would not be able to hold up a part of the bridge but then I prayed to lord Shiva and I was filled with so much power that I could hold up the bridge as long as I wanted. Then after a few days all the army crossed over me using the bridge that I was carrying.

I am strong. I am much deeper and wider, thanks to Lord Shiva for the blessings. I will always bow to Rama but no one shall cross me or sail on me. 

I am the ocean. Everybody worships me for my deepness and wideness. No one has ever been able to cross me or sail on me. I am against it. No one can rule me and there is no being in this whole planet that can defeat me. 

Author’s Note:

In the Ramayana by Sister Nivedita it explains how Rama fought with the ocean and threatened to destroy all the animals in the ocean and dry up the whole ocean. This is the story of the creatures living in the sea when Rama wanted to cross the ocean. I do believe that the ocean creatures had a story to tell when all the arrows that Rama shot in the ocean were coming for them. I do believe that the ocean who at last agreed to suffer and hold the bridge firm has a story on his side. In the Ramayana by Nivedita, it tells about Rama’s silent, concentrated prayers towards the ocean for help to build the bridge.  After three days of his prayers Rama was angry and then loosed dreadful shafts towards the ocean which distressed the Nagas and Makaras of the sea. Nagas have a mixture of human and serpent-like traits. Makaras have a mixture of terrestrial animal and  aquatic animal. The pet dragon is described as the mother of Nagas. When Hanuman flew over the ocean to Lanka, The pet dragon tried to stop Hanuman from crossing the ocean. When the ocean didn’t respond to Rama he threatened to dry up the ocean and then only the ocean rose up and spoke to Rama. So, here this week I retold this part of story from the view of the ocean and the creatures living in the ocean during that moment.

Bibliography:

Myths of the Hindus and Buddhist: Ramayana

Author: Sister Nivedita

Year 1914

Source: Ramayana