Reading Notes: Gaia's Secret Part B

-rural cultures desired fertility
-urban cultures desired obedience
-it was forced thru men
-more rules created during city buildings
-city was masculine invention
-yang and yin in Chinese culture are 2 opposing forces that work in harmony to create life
-yang is like masculine and like dragon in the sky
-yin is feminine and like the earth or the Phoenix.. regenerates from its own ashes, no superior or inferior
-in Confucianism, inequality emerges and equality becomes more important
-the emperor is to sit on the thrown in the city and bring order to earth where there is chaos
-patriarchal society links women with nature and men with cult, just as culture domesticates nature, men are asked to the same for women.
-Mesopotamia epic.. god king defeats primal female and brings order to the world
-apparent in Greek myth where Zeus chased and raped nymphs across the land, fathering offspring
-in Japanese mythology, the first man and the first woman stir the ocean to create the islands of Japan, build a house with a pillar, populate when they meet.
-they meet and the woman speaks, demons are born but when the man speaks, normal people are born.. obvious that its the need to make women subservient to men.
-the sun goddess, shares the sky with her brother the moon god.. the goddess of earth is trapped by the moon god and creates day and night

-all these stories show that women are not as equal or valuable as men.

-pandora opens the box of evil.. a woman who opens an evil box
-men were told to be wary from all men and that they are all the problems of life
-eve breaks the law of god and compels Adam to do so.. even is subservient.
-Lilith was his first wife but refused to be obedient so was cast out and became the mother of all monsters and demons.
-men were valued by what they had, women included as their belongings.. isolation of women began.
-the greater the isolation, the greater the desire of women.. which is why Snow White is so appealing.. she's a virgin in isolation.
-1,000 Greek ships were sent to get Helen]
-After the fall of the Trojans, the women were taken back to Greece

The Yin and the Yang

Source: Seven Secrets of the Goddess by Devdutt Pattanaik (2016).

Reading Notes: Gaia, Part A

Gaia
-the earth mother in greek mythology
-cronus was able to leave gaia's womb by her castrating his father
-Aphrodite rose from the blood drops
-irenes goddess of retribution
-cronus declared himself king and ate his own children to keep them from overtaking him
-gaia saves one son, zeus
-zeus kills cronus
-zeus declares himself king of gods
-inuit told a story similar.. seagulls attack humans and.. one dies and when she sinks to the bottom of the ocean, her limbs turning into marine life.
-people who want to hunt need to appease her and get permission from shamans
-india speaks of primal one, Adya.. took the form of a bird, laid 3 unfertilized eggs
-Bhrama, Shiva, and Vishnu were born from them
-she was set on fire and turned to ash
-from ash came 3 goddesses: sarawati, parvati, and Lakshmi.. all became Bhrama, Shiva and Vishnu's wives.
-grama devis came from the ash and they are deities in every human settlement
-in Egypt there was attum

Mother Earth: also known as Gaia


Source: Seven Secrets of Goddess by Devdutt Pattanaik

Reading Notes: Naraka and Bana, Part B

Indra visited Krishna in Dwarka and told him that Naraka is nearly invincible. He took the sea's umbrella, took Mandara Mountain's jeweled crest and his mother's earrings. The earrings gave out ambrosia at the will of the owner. He then demanded Indra'a elephant so Indra asked Krishna to come help him kill him. Krishna agreed and Vishnu's eagle, Garuda appeared, Indra got on his elephants back and they all went to Pragjyothisha city.
Muru, a demon designed the city which had turrets, moats, and magic nets to capture the enemies. Krishna on the eagle flew over the arrows from the turrets, the moats and the nets. He cut the nets with his sword, dried up the moats with his fiery discus and battered down the walls of the city with his mace. Muru was at the bottom of the moat hiding under the water, when it dried up he had 5 heads, he had a trident that he tried to rush Krishna with. Krishna shot 5 arrows and they each hit Muru's head and he died. Within the city the 7 sons of Muru and Naraka's army tried to fight Krishna and Indra off but Krishna's arrows killed the sons and his sword killed the others so the army fled.
In the city they found all of the missing items as well as stables full of animals, and thousands of princes that were kidnapped and being held. They were all sent back to Dwarka.

Picture info: Krishna storms Naraka's city

Source:   Shri Krishna and Dwarka and Other Stories by C.A. Kincaid (1920)

Reading Notes: Krishna's Youth, Part A

King Kansa sent the demon Dhenuka to kill Balarama (Krishna's brother) in hopes that it would weaken Krishna and he would be able to kill him more easily. Three boys wanted to eat the fruit in the orchard where the demon hid ass a donkey but the donkey told them to go away. They returned with Krishna and Balarama. 

Dhenuka rushed Balarama but he ended up knocking his brains out against a fruit tree. The demons friends rushed Balarama and Krishna but they did the same and eventually the tree lost its fruit so all the boys ate the fruit. 

Another demon called Pralambha who was even stronger offered to kill them so he disguised himself and played with the boys. They played a game and the loser had to carry the winner on his back. Balarama won so Pralambha had to carry him on his back but he morphed back and ran away, Krishna was unable to catch him. 

Krishna told Balarama to knock him in the head so he did and he ended up dying. Balarma returned to Krishna. 

King Kansa left them alone for sometime. 

Krishna told the people of Gokula to no longer give thanks to Indra for the monsoon season but to give thanks and sacrifice to the Govardham mountain. They did so and when they got on top of the mountain they saw Krishna who accepted their sacrifices. 

Indra was mad so he sent down large rocks and floods that killed men. Krishna picked up the mountain and had the people hide under the mountain for shelter. 

Indra then came to earth and anointed Krishna as god of the cows and of the cowherds. All cowherds and milk maids threw him a party and passed out. They woke up in the middle of the night to find Krishna's dad, Nanda trapped and being crushed by a python. 

Krishna went to save his dad and the snake turned into a man who's name was Sudarshan. He said that he was cursed for being vain but when Krishna's foot touched him, the curse was ended. He then bowed to Krishna and was lifted to the heavens. 

                   Picture info: Krishna, the god of cowherds 

Source: Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories by C.A. Kincaid (1920)