Week 4 Storytelling: The Story Behind the Scar

                                                          Where the Fruit Grow

“Grandpa, grandpa,” cried out Danzl and Kuroff, “what happened to your back?”

“What do you speak of?” responded Ralla.

“Your back! You have that massive scar on your back. How did it get there?” pleaded Danzl and Kuroff.

“Well, you see there once ruled a villain named Ravana. And Ravana enjoyed wreaking havoc on any and everyone. For a few thousand years Ravana was especially violent. Village after village was destroyed because Ravana simply found violence to be – fun.” explained Ralla.

“But the scar, how did you get the scar?” asked Kuroff.

“Oh, yes! The scar. Where were we now?” said Ralla.

“Did you fight the villain yourself?” implored Danzl.

Ralla chuckled. “Oh no! I was simply collecting the fruits that had come to season. It just so happened that I ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.” exclaimed Ralla.

Ralla, with a look of bewilderment on his face, said, “So you’re telling us that the FRUITS scarred you?”

“Now let me explain,” remarked Ralla, “I was in the fruit fields that are fed by the Ganges just south of Mount Kailasa. I was harvesting the fruits for the family when I heard a thunder from the mountains. I could not tell what was going on, but the mountains themselves looked very peculiar. Black were the clouds, red were sparks flying and green was an odd aura surrounding two figures on mountainside.”

Ralla and Kuroff, both wide-eyed, were engaged in nothing but the tale.

“It was the tenacious terror – Ravana. On this particular day he had chosen to fight the mountain god Shiva. Shiva was no chump now. Ravana, even with all of his trickery, was up for quite the battle with artist of war like Shiva.” Explained Ralla.

“So how did the SCAR come about?” begged the children.

“Ah yes, the scar! You see, the battle between the two was quite turbulent; the ground shook, the water in the Ganges crashed against the banks and rocks exploded from the side of Kailasa.” detailed Ralla.

The children, not knowing their grandfather had ever experienced anything half this exciting, were on the edge of their proverbial seats.

“The fight was back and forth – hours went by as the two exchanged blows. Then, Shiva grabbed Ravana by the neck and thrust him to the ground. Shiva then picked up the entire Himalayan mountain range and pinned Ravana down with it.” said Ralla.

“And when Shiva jabbed the Himalayas down as his sword, boulders tumbled from its side. And, unfortunately, one of those boulders struck me in the back as I ran for cover.” described Ralla.

“Awesome!” exclaimed the kids. “Do you have any more cools stories to tell?” beseeched Kuroff.

Author's note:
The background for this story is that in the Hindu culture, mount Kailasa is a venerated landmark. This is due to the belief that Shiva still resides there. I chose two write this in third person because I wanted readers to understand the emotions on both sides of the conversation. This was my attempt at explaining the events at Mount Kailasa that afford it special attention. I thought it would be more realistic to include traits of the characters like impatience on the part of the children and a tendency to side-track by an elder. My motivation for telling this tale was to be able to incorporate it into my storytelling website. The goal of the storytelling site is to depict why some of the most beautiful natural Indian landmarks are culturally significant. My hope is to be able to tie this in with other stories told by the grandfather that essentially guide the reader through the India. The image that I chose was actually of Mount Kailasa; it included a body of water which I mentioned in the text. I thought this would be a somewhat accurate image that the children listening to the story would have envisioned when listening to their grandfather.

 

 

Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way. 

Reading Diary 4B: An Exceptional Exile

I found it surprising that Buck decided to include king Dasaratha’s expression of remorse and the attempt to keep Rama from leaving.

I can’t believe that the chariot carrying Rama ran over guards on its way out of the Kingdom. Rama was truly committed to carrying out his father’s wish. He 1) chose to ignore his father’s request to stay and 2) elected to barge through several rows of people who wanted him to be the heir.

Was it coincidence that the weather seemed to turn violent shortly after Rama left the gates of Fair Ayodhya? I think not!

It amazes me that Rama’s presence demands such respect from seemingly everyone he encounters – even in the forest. Great sleeping quarters are construed, feasts are prepared, and fine clothing is donated by seemingly everyone Rama encounters. These people speak of his great character and noble deeds; it would be quite the experience to spend time with someone who commands such veneration.

 

Home Sweet Home

 

 

Week 4 Reading Diary A: Ravana Reeks Havoc

I found it quite interesting that William Buck included all of the evildoings committed by Ravana. This paints a more vivid picture with which to evaluate him and allows the reader to better predict the outcome once he hears about Sita. I found it significant that Buck included just how Ravana came about obtaining all of the powers he eventually uses against Rama.  He was depicted as being quite ruthless and therefore it should come as no surprise that he fights Rama till the death.

I also appreciate how Buck includes a more thorough description of Rama. Although Narayana did mention the quality of his character, Buck provided clear-cut instances which provided an even better depiction of Rama.

Also, I think the attention Buck placed on the Rakshasas in the opening sections of this epic served an important purpose. In this story we have a better feel for their history and why they lived in Lanka, Mount Kailasa, etc.

 

The Birth of a King