Story Lab: Storybook Research

-Yoga is often used to be benefit people physically, spiritually, and mentally
-The spiritual aspects of yoga originated in ancient India and is one of the 6 schools of Hindu philosophy
-There are many schools of yoga that have been introduced and practiced throughout the many years
-The first evidence of yoga appeared in the Ramayana and Mahabharata
-There are said to be 84 classic Asanas that Lord Shiva taught

-Vriksasana or Tree Pose is probably one of my favorites and the story is said to come from the  Ramayana.. Sita was kidnapped by Ravana in hopes that one day Sita would marry him, she refused time after    time and was sent to dwell in the woods. Since Sita was the daughter of Earth she stood and chanted her husband Rama's name... here she felt even more connected with the Earth and the trees. Finally Rama sent Hanuman to rescue her. (definitely can use this story)

Picture information: Tree Pose with trees

-Virabhadrasana poses or the Warrior Poses are said to have originated when Shiva's beloved wife Sati killed herself due to her father's selfishness. When Shiva found out about her death he cut off a lock of his hair and threw it to the ground, a warrior sprung up. The three poses are the three aspects of the warrior.

Picture information:Warrior II Pose

-Akarna Dhanurasana or the Shooting Bow Pose originated in the Ramayana and was Shiva's bow which was too heavy for mortals to lift.. except for Sita. Sita's father held a contest when she was of wedding age to see who could move the bow and whoever could could marry her. Rama was able to move the bow and the rest was history. (maybe find another story, can't find any pictures labeled for reuse)

-Hanumanasana or Lord Hanuman Pose is named after Hanuman who is a demi-god. When Rama's brother Laksmana was injured in battle, Hanuman extended his legs and leapt away to Himalaya to find healing herbs.

Picture information: Hanumanasana pose

Here is a list of the Asanas

Reading Notes; The House of Fire, Part B

Background:
-Vidura is brother to Pandu and Dhritarashtra.
-He is a member of Dhritarashtra's court but he is loyal to the Pandavas.


Story:
-Vidura found out Prince Duryodhana's plot to kill the Pandavas and Queen Kunti.
   -He then told Prince Yudhishtira of Duryodhana's plot to kill them all.
-Arriving at the palace all but Yudhishtira were in awe.
   -Yudhishtira saw that everything was drenched in oil, and that the palace was made of wood.
   -He knew that the palace was easy to catch on fire and burn.
   -He told his brothers and mother of the plot.
-Vidura sent a miner with the Pandavas and Kunti.
   -The plan was to have him dig a tunnel for them to escape Duryhodhana.
   -The miner dug a tunnel at night which led to the forest outside the palace, hiding his work from
    Purochana, the evil captain.
-Purochana was plotting to set the palace on fire during a night with no moon which allowed the miner to finish digging.
   -That same night that he finished, the Pandavas and the Queen all escaped through the tunnel.
   -Bhima, one of the brothers told his brothers and mother to wait while he returned to the guards
    house to set it on fire.
   -The guard and Purochana died in the fire.
-While the guardhouse was on fire a wind passed the fire to the palace.
   -Within the palace was a mother with her 5 sons who had come earlier to beg for food and now
     were sleeping.
   -They all died.
-The next morning the townspeople walked outside and saw the smoke and ash.
   -Within the ash they found the mother and her 5 sons.
   -They thought that they were the Pandavas and Kunti so they all mourned.
   -Word spread to Duryodhana and Dhritarashtra, they both rejoiced.

    Source info: The Pandavas by name


Source: The Indian Heroes by C. A. Kincaid (1921). Link: House of Fire

Reading Notes: Duryodhana's Revenge, Part A

Background:
-The Pandavas, the 5 sons of King Pandu, grew more and more successful which infuriated Prince Duryodhana who then plots to get rid of them along with Kunti.


Story:
-The Pandavas captured King Drupada which caused Duryodhana even more rage and spite against them.
-Duryodhana's father, King Dhritarashtra then also named his nephew Prince Yudhishthira (the eldest son of King Pandu)- this also ignited more fury within Duyodhana.
-Duyodhana then went to his father, King Dhritarshta and told him lies about Prince Yudhishthira which caused the King to second guess his decision.
-Prince Duyodhana then suggested to his father that he build a palace that only had wooden furniture which were soaked in oil- he wanted the place to be flammable.
-The Prince's plot was for his uncle, King Pandu, along with the Pandavas and Kunti to occupy the palace in order for Duyodhana to catch the palace on fire and kill all members of that family.
-The King agreed and the palace began to be built, just as the Prince had asked and planned.
-Back in Hastinapura the Prince told Kunti and the Pandavas of the palace he built, enticing them with a festival in honor of Shiva.
-Kunti and the Pandavas were given permission to go visit the palace but only if there was a guard in place.
-Duyodhana had a guard back at the palace named Purochana who knew of the plan to kill the Pandavas and Kunti.

                              Pandu and Matakunti


Source: The Indian Heroes by C. A. Kincaid (1921). Mahabharata publich domain.

Topic Research: Yoga

• A good source to begin with and branch outwards from is Wikipedia, they often have footnotes and sources from where contributors got their information.
• Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Asana is also a Wikipedia source but talks more about the poses and some of the background of them, I will also most likely try to branch out but I think this would be a good start.
• Another good source to begin with in order to get the basic knowledge about the poses in yoga is pocketyoga.com, here they have pictures with names of the poses so even if I don't use this source I think it will be useful.
• Here they talk about the asanas and how they got their names, I think reading up on the mythology of it will help to build and create my stories

• One story that I will most likely talk about deals with the warrior poses since this is often used in everyday practices. I think that knowing the history and story behind it will be good knowledge for my story telling as well as my own personal practice
• Another pose that I'm interested in learning about (but can't do yet) is the monkey pose. Reading a bit on it peeked my interest so I am looking forward to it.
• Another potential pose and story is the corpse pose or Savasana which is probably one of the hardest ones.

                             Hanuman holding a Namaste posture

Week #5 Story: Arianhrod's Escape

Once upon a time in a far, far away land there lived a wicked witch named Abigor. This wretched witch was so evil that she was never able to marry or have kids of her own, though she so wanted to. Abigor wanted children so badly that she devised a plan to wed her sister Anya and her loyal servant Amaethon in hopes that they would have children she could take from them. On the day of Anya and Amaethon's wedding there was much rejoicing and feasting within the kingdom.. but that was about to end for the day after their wedding she threw them in her dungeon and locked them away.
Abigor knew that if she did not lock them away that they would be free to escape and disappear, taking with them their children that she so desperately wanted.


For many years Anya and Ameathon remained locked away in the kingdom's dungeon, giving birth to seven children. Though Abigor wanted a child she was never pleased and so she would send them away.


Anya and Ameathon were once again expecting a child and they grew weary and dreaded the birth for they knew that Abigor would yet again take their baby from them. Time passed and the time for Anya to give birth arrived. This night seemed special though, for outside there was fierce storm surrounding the kingdom's walls. Within the dungeon wall's Anya and Ameathon welcomed their new baby Arianrhod. Fearful that the following day Abigor would take Arianrhod they devised a plan to escape. Ameathon and Anya were able to break free form the dungeon's gates, cradling Arianhrod in Ameathon's arms they made their way past the sleeping guards. Walking out into the howling winds and rain they knew that they must act fast to get their sleeping child to safety. They followed a snake for they had an overwhelming since of trust in this snake. Approaching the Three Sister's Rivers they saw the banks flooding and knew that they must find a way to pass. As Ameathon and Anya began to grow weary and lose hope they noticed that the snake had turned himself into a raft and they hopped on. Once on the other side of the river they continued their journey to Ameathon's cousin's house where they knew Arianrhod would be safe and looked after. Finally they arriving at Ameathon's cousin's house they were able to get a better look at Arianhrod and they rejoiced for she held the signs of retribution in her hands.

                       Dark and stormy night when Arianhrod was born. Wikimedia





Author's Notes: The original outline of the story comes from Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita (1907). The characters have been adapted from the original story of the Birth of Krishna and are deities from other mythologies. In the original story Vasudeva (the father) has to cross the Jumna River with Krishna, in this version Ameathon has to cross the Three Sister's River with Arianhrod, my idea for naming the river comes from Irelands five longest rivers. In Krishna's birth story only Vasudeva goes on the journey with Krishna, leaving Krishna's mother behind. Krishna is placed in Nanda's home and Vasudeva returns  to the dungeon with the baby girl that Nanda had found; she then turns into a goddess and disappears.

Reading Notes: The Birth of Krishna

-Kansa was the king of Mathura and was also a tyrant
-Though he was an evil man he did love his sister, Devaki and one of his nobles/friend, Vasudeva
-Kansa arranged a marriage of the two
-After the marriage as he was driving the couple Kansa was told that the couple's 8th child would slay him
-Quickly he turned back around and took them back to Mathura
-At Mathura he imprisoned the couple and killed every child that they had
-They had 7 children
-The night that the 8th child was to come the Jumna river rose and flooded
-The couple knew and were fearful that when their 8th child Krishna was born he would be taken and killed the next day by Kansa
-At midnight Krishna was born
-As Devaki held Krishna she noticed a light in the dungeon as well as 4 arms coming from Krishna
-In one arm he held a battle trumpet, in another he held his sudarshana chakra, in another he held kaumodakim, and in another he held a lotus with a stem
-These were all the signs of Vishnu so the began to say the salutations of Narayana
-After they completed the salutations Krishna once again appeared to them as their own child, one of flesh
-They heard voices, they were told to take him to Nanda's house to exchange the baby that was just born there
-Doing as they were told Vasudeva went to the prison gate with Krishna and the gate opened
-The guards who watched the dungeon were asleep so he made his way out
-He followed a jackal to the river, there jackal showed him where to cross the raging river
-The jackal is said to be Durga who is queen of heaven and mother of the universe
-Vadudeva arrived Gokool village where Nanda lived and entered a house where he saw the newborn he was supposed to switch with his own
-The next day the whole village rejoiced when they released that the girl they had found was actually a boy
-The day of celebration is still known as Nanda's Feast and before there is always rain
-The next day Kansa went down to the dungeon to find the boy was actually a girl
-Kansa grabbed the baby by the foot but she slipped and arose as a goddess instead
-She told him that the one who would kill him was actually safe and in Gokool
-Kansa then plotted to kill Krishna before he could kill him

  

                             Vasudeva crossing Jumna with baby Krishna: Wikimedia


Source: Cradle Tales of Hinduism by Sister Nivedita (1907) 

Reading Notes: The Churning of the Ocean

-Long ago so let's assume before man
-Rishi Druvasas cursed Indra, the king of gods
-Due to this curse all of the worlds (3 at the time) lost energy and fell apart
-Daityas or asuras helped the gods flee to Brahma (also known as Vishnu) for protection
-They sought refuge in Vishnu
-Vishnu was the tamer of demons, undying god, creator, preserver, and destroyer
-They approached Vishnu who was extravagantly dressed
-Hari (also Brahma) told them to throw potent herbs into the Milky Sea, to use Mount Mandara as a stick to turn, use serpent Vasuki a rope, and to churn the ocean
-In order to do this they must have the daityas as an ally
-Hari also told them to have daityas drink ambrosia to become immortal but that they will not become immortal
-They did as Hari told them to and became allies with the demons all while following Hari's instructions
-As the gods and demons were carrying out their tasks Hari was present but hidden on the mountain top
-Vasuki spit out fire and set the demons and gods on fire but Hari instilled strength in the gods and cast clouds full of rain over them to cool them
-Up from the sea arose, Surabhi, Varuni, Parijata, the troops of apsaras, the moon that Mahadeva (Shiva) took ahold of, a deadly poison that Mahadeva drank
-The poison turned his throat blue and he was called Nilakantha from then on.
-Dhanvantari with dew of life arose from the sea
-Sri (also Lakshmi) came from the sea and the sky elephants anointed her with water from the river Ganga, she was given flowers by the Milky Sea, and celestial jewelry from Vishvakarma
-Shri then married Vishnu which enraged the demons who took the dew from Dhanvantari
-Vishnu followed the demons and shape shifted to become a woman who snatched the dew from the demons and returned it to the gods
-The gods drank the dew that was returned and were able to send the demons to Hell
-The land and three worlds were once gain in harmony and happy
-Indra created a hymn about Lakshmi and as long as it was sung she should never abandon the three worlds

                         Elephants decorating Lakshmi with floral wreaths from wikimedia        


Notes taken from: Myths of Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1907, 1914) 

Comment Wall

                                                             Photo info: Namaste

The link to my storybook!
I will be discussing yoga and the background of the poses, from which deity they originate and their importance. Some sources will include yogajournal and wikipedia. To give information on the poses I will be using background epics to explain how, why, and for whom the poses are named.

Week 4: Hanuman the Hero

Upon completing human sacrifices to the fire-god, Agni, Indrajit received a special cloak which could be used as a weapon. This cloak was not just any ordinary cloak but was one that could give him the ability to go incognito and become invisible, it was referred to as a Brahmastra. Indrajit knew that with this weapon he would be able to defeat the monkey army and their leader Hanuman. For many decades the two have fought but Indrajit had never been successful in defeating his enemy Hanuman.

Things were about to change.

Or so he thought.

One night Indrajit snuck up on the monkey army as they peacefully slept with their elephant wives and children. Indrajit used his special invisible cloak to do so and he was happy to find that it worked. Within a matter of minutes Indrajit was able to slay all of the monkeys that slept at that village. Word got around and the other monkeys who were away doing monkey army stuff came running back to try and ward of Indrajit and his army. They were unsuccessful and all were slaughtered.

Hanuman who was away on business caught word of the mayhem that took place and returned to the village. Upon entering the village Hanuman found Jambavan, the king of bears, who told him what had happened and how to solve this issue at hand.

Upon receiving this news Hanuman lept away to carry out his task.

Leaping and flying through the air Hanuman finally arrived at his intended location and began his search.

He searched for at least 48 hours attempting to find herbs that Jambavan told him would cure all of the monkeys and bring them back to life. Finally! Hanuman was able to locate these herbs and made his voyage back to the monkey village where his men lay slain.
Arriving at the village Hanuman was able to cast a spell on his men with the herbs he found and bring them back to life. Once his men were alive they continued to combat Indrajit's army and this time were successful for they had the spell that continued to protect them and make them stronger.

Photo information: Agni; god of fire, Wikimedia

Author's Notes:
Indrajit has attacked and killed much Hanuman's army. Hanuman must find a way to save his army and defeat Indrajit who was able to aqcuire a special weapon called the Brahmastra. In the original story Hanuman travelled to the Himalaya's but was unable to find the herbs needed so he uprooted and brought the mountain with him, returning it once his men were healed.

Source: Hanuman and the Mountain. Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914).

Reading Notes: Hanuman and the Mountain, Part D

Background information: Indrajit attacks Hanuman and the monkey army with a Brahmastra which is a supernatural weapon that could potentially used to destroy the world. At this point Hanuman realizes that it is up to him to defend and protect the army against Indrajit.


Indrajit receives a Brahmastra after completing sacrifices to the fire god and receiving blessings from his father and king Ravana. With this weapon Indrajit kills many monkeys within the monkey army and is able to conquer Rama. Once Indrajit conquers Rama he returns victorious to Lanka.
Vibhishana and Hanuman find these slain monkeys along with Jambavan, the kind of bears. Finding Jambavan the two run to him and he manages to tell Hanuman what he must do. After telling Hanuman that he must run to the Himalaya (mountain) and find healing herbs to bring back, he does so.
Once at the mountain Hanuman is unable to find the herbs that are needed so he completely uproots the mountain and returns back to Lanka with it. Upon arriving back in Lanka all of the wounded monkeys were healed, but the rakshasas were not. After all of his monkeys were healed Hanuman returned the mountain back.

The mountain that Hanuman healed the slain with; Himalaya. Wikipedia

Source: Hanuman and the Mountain. Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914).

Reading Notes: The Burning of Lanka Part C

Hanuman from the monkey army suffered the burning of his tail by the hands of the rakshasa (maneating beings). Hanuman did this in order to get a better insight of the layout of the capital city Lanka. Sita caught word of the monkey's tail being on fire and lifted him up into prayer, asking for her God to take the pain and fire away from the monkey. When she did so the prayer was answered and Hanuman's tail was put out.
Once Hanuman's tail was no longer ablaze he ran around Lanka catching the city on fire. He burned all the buildings and the riches that lie in those buildings. Pausing and saddened by the thought of Sita dying Hanuman decides to return to the tree where he had left Sita. Once he arrived at the tree he realizes that Sita is not dead but rather alive and well. Here they discussed rescuing Rama and decided to return to their mountain range home.


Notes: this story was taken from The Burning of Lanka. Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914).

Photo information: Hanuman torching the city of Lanka. Wikimedia

Reading Notes: Battle With Khara, Part B

As Rama, Sita and Lakshmana ventured into the forest they quickly realized that there was going to be trouble. Rama ordered his brother Lashmana to take Sita and protect her while he went to deal with the demons alone. Hastily Khara (a man eating demon) and his men approached Rama who only had a bow and arrow. Rama was able to kill many warrior demons with his bow and arrow and even managed to kill Dushana, Khara's brother as well as Khara. With both head honchos slain and the other warrior demons dead the battle was ended and Rama was triumphant. Rama, Sita, and Lakshama were reunited once again.

Photo Credit: Rama Defeats Khara. Wikimedia

Source: Rama and Khara Battle. Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).

Reading Notes: Rama Goes Into Exile Part A

The story opens up with Rama approaching his wife Sita informing her that he must depart the city where the reside, the reason is not known until later in the story. Rama asks Sita to stay behind and be a faithful wife but Sita has other plans which involve her accompanying her husband into the jungle. Though Rama would love for his beloved wife to come with him he knows that there will be many obstacles in their path which can lead to death and Rama is not prepared for Sita to die on his behalf. Finally after much argument and crying Sita is able to convince Rama that she would rather go with him and suffer than remain at home without him. Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana who is Rama's brother all left the city to venture into the forest. At this point they go to talk to Dasharatha where Rama informs her that he has been told to leave the city for 14 years. The 3 were demanded to wear clothing made of bark but Sita refused and so the three were excused from wearing it.

Image Information: Rama, Sita, and Lahshmana head off

Source: Rama Goes Into Exile. Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).