Reading Notes: Free Reading 15 More Jataka Tales Part B

Today I read about the little bowman. The little bowman was talented with the bow more than anyone in the land. He wanted to work for the king but he was too small and would be passed up because of his size. So he decided to find a big man that would be chosen and the little bowman could do all the work. So he searched until he found a big man digging. He explained his plan and the big man agreed. They were accepted by the king and agreed to split the money they earned. Their first job was to kill a tiger that had been roaming the forest. Once they completed that, the king was pleased and gave them all kinds of riches. Then there was a buffalo that was running up and down the roads. The little bowman once again shot and this time killed the buffalo. The king was pleased again and gave them more riches. The big man decided that he no longer needed the little bowman and said very mean things to him. The king received a letter from a far away kingdom threatening to take all the land in battle. The big man was made the leader of the army and was sent towards the camp of the intruding kingdom. Riding on an elephant, the big man approached the camp but he was unaware that the little bowman had slipped behind him on the elephant. The big man began shaking in fear once they got closer to the camp. The little bowman said not to fear because he would be with him. The big man slid down anyways and ran all the way back to his home. The little bowman pressed forward and pushed the other army all the way back to their kingdom. The little bowman lead his army back to the king and the king praised him for leading the army to victory. The little bowman was made the chief of the army! In the end, the little bowman should have had faith in himself because he had what it took to not only win with his bow but he was also a great leader!

Onward to victory!

Source:More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Back

Reading Notes: Free Reading 15 More Jataka Tales Part A

Today I read of the wise goat and the wolves! A family of goats lived in a cave in the side of a hill and not far from them lived a couple wolves. The wolves enjoyed the meat of goats so they decided to feast on the family of goats until there were no more. One by one they ate all the goats until one wise goat remained. They tried and tried but could not catch the wise goat. Finally one wolf said to the other they should trick the goat. He would lay down and pretend to be dead while the other wolf made the goat feel sorry and come to help bury the dead wolf. When the goat came near, the wolf would jump up and attack! So they tried their plan and the goat would not go. Finally the wolf convinced the goat to go but it had taken so long that as they neared, the “dead” wolf raised his head to see if they were coming. The goat saw this and ran away! They tried again but instead, the wolf said that they wanted to be friends because the goat made the other wolf better by walking near it! The goat got smarter and said that she would go but she was bringing her friends to celebrate with them. She would bring all the hounds she knew! The wolves got scared and were never seen again! I liked how the goat was wise enough to outwit the goats but I wondered why didn’t she save her friends? If she were that wise, I would imagine that she would have at least tried to save her friends!

Wise Goat!

Source:More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Back

Reading Notes: Free Reading 14 More Jataka Tales Part A

As I read about the hawks and their friends, the story had a great value to teach. Those in need who have great friends will bear through the hard times together. Those in need without friends will not last very long at all. The hawk made friends with all the animals on the shores the lake and when he needed help they were there. When the hunters were about to get the young hawks, the kingfisher was soon there to help. When the kingfisher has been worn out, the turtle was right there continue the fight. When the turtle had done his part, the lion came along and finished the fight! The young hawks survived because of the hawks friends! I’ve always said that who you surround yourself with will either uplift you or bring you down. Having good friends will be a great help through life in the good times and the bad times. But having bad friends can be just as bad if not worse than having no friends at all. It is important to choose friends wisely and ensure that when you need help just like the hawk did, your friends will be there to help win the battle! Of course this story did make me wonder, if the lion had come in the first place, wouldn’t that have gotten rid of the hunters sooner? I’m other words, know your friends enough to know which one can be the best help in the right situation!

Making friends can be Hawkward!

Source: More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Back

Reading Notes: Free Reading 13 Jataka Tales Part B

The story of the otters and the wolf is something that I can soon relate to. The wolf and his mate were resting one day when the girl wolf said she wanted fish as her meal. The guy wolf said he would go and get some fish for her to feast on. So he went to the river where he found two otters. The otters were waiting on a fish when a great big fish swam by and one of the otters grabbed its tail. The otter was not strong enough so he called for the other otter to help pull the fish in. They were able to bring the fish out of water and began to divide it. One otter said I’ll take the head portion and you take the tail. The other otter thought it was not fair so he disagreed. The wolf approached the two otters and the otters asked the wolf to decide for them. The wolf cut the head off and gave it to one otter while he cut the tail off and gave it to the other otter. The wolf took the middle portion and left the otters. The otters were speechless and realized they lost the best part! The wolf grout the fish to his mate and she asked how he got the fish. He said he found the otters couldn’t make a decision so he made the decision for them. He took the middle portion as his payment! This reminds me of an arbitrator in law. Being a pre-law student, I can relate to the wolf!

Lead the pack!

Source: More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Back

Reading Notes: Free Reading 13 Jataka Tales Part A

After all of the reading I've done in the Jatakas, I've been waiting for that plot twist and this story gave me close to what I was expecting. In the story of the Woodpecker, the Turtle, and the Deer, there was a hunter who found the tracks of the deer and decided to set a trap near the pond so that he could catch the deer. All three of the animals were great friends and also stuck close together. While the deer was going to the pond to catch a drink, he was caught by the trap and let out a shriek that signaled he was trapped. The woodpecker and the turtle heard the shriek and went to the deer to find out what had happened. The woodpecker told the turtle to chew through the leather trap and she would fly to the hunters home and distract him so the deer could be set free. The turtle began gnawing and the woodpecker waited at the hunter's home. When the hunter had awoken, he grabbed his knife and went out the front door to see what he had caught. The woodpecker flew in his face and struck him in the head! The hunter went back into his house and laid down for awhile longer. Again, the hunter grabbed his knife and decided to exit through the back door to avoid the woodpecker. The woodpecker knew the hunter would try this, so the woodpecker waited and once again flew into the hunter's face. The hunter went back inside and laid down for just a little longer. When the sun had come up, the hunter grabbed his knife and went out the door determined to get his catch! The woodpecker flew to the deer and said "hurry, the hunter is coming!" The turtle had gnawed through all but one of the straps. The turtles teeth had become weak and the turtle was bleeding from trying so hard to free the deer. When the hunter had arrived, the deer used all of his strength to break the last strap and get away. The turtle was so tired though, that he was unable to get away and the hunter grabbed him and tied him in a bag to a tree. The deer grabbed the attention of the hunter and stayed barely ahead of the hunter while leading the hunter deep into the forest. The deer then quickly lost the hunter and went back to save the turtle. Knowing the hunter would eventually be back, the three split up and the hunter could not find them. I expected the deer to be set free by his friends but I did not expect the turtle to be caught and need saving! I was almost ready to accept that the turtle gave his life for the deer to be free, but then the deer came back to save him!

Stick Together!

Source: More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Back

Reading Notes: Free Reading Jataka Tales Part B

As I read about the Prince Wicked and the Grateful Animals, I prepared myself for the ending that I probably wouldn’t expect! The prince was rude to everyone everywhere and did not care to be nice to a single soul! Not even his guards liked him and would think of ways to let him get kidnapped. One day while they were swimming, a great storm passed through and darkened the entire river. The prince cried out that he could not make it out of the river. The guards decided that tha was their chance and left him there to drown. When the returned, the king asked where the prince was and the guards all said it was too dark to see and they assumed he went back without them noticing. What really happened was the prince grabbed onto a log that a snake, a rat, and a parrot all found refuge on. The log was pulled in by a poor man that cared for the animals first and then the prince last. The prince was angered by this and while the animals promised riches to the poor man for helping them, the prince faked his appreciation and promised that when he is king, he would take care of the old man. Once the prince became king, the old man tested the animals and they all proved true to their promises and offered gold and riches to the poor man. The poor man then went to the kingdom and when the king saw him, the king ordered him to be beaten and beheaded before he could tell of how he saved the king when he was a prince. The poor man did not protest but kept saying that it is better to save the animals than it is to save the prince! The wise men in the crowd asked what prince he saved and when they found out, they said that the king should be killed and the poor man be made king! So in the end, the prince dig his own grave by being rude to the poor man.

Karma!

 Source: More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Back

Reading Notes: Free Reading Jataka Tales Part A

Once again during my reading, I was surprised about the outcome. I read about How the Monkey Saved His Troop. The monkeys had lived near a tree that stood next to a river. They had feasted on the tree’s mangoes daily and were living a satisfied life gathering the fruit on the ground while also gathering the fruit that were in the branches. One day, a king and his men stumbled upon the fruit and asked where it came from. After they found out where it came from, the kind and his men decided to camp out and have more mangoes in the morning. The monkeys waited until the soldiers were asleep and then, finding that all the fruit had been taken from the ground, the monkeys gathered what they could from the branches. While gathering fruit from the branches, the king was awakened from the noise. The king ordered his men to grab their bows and arrows and wait until the monkeys come down from the tree. The men were ordered to kill the monkeys as they came down! The monkeys were so frightened that they begged their chief to find a way out of the mess they were in! The chief swung to a branch that was over the river but it did not reach completely to the trees on the other side of the river. He was sure that some of the monkeys would fall and drown in the river! So he grabbed the other branch and used his back as a bridge for the other monkeys to cross. He called them to cross and after all of the monkeys crossed, the king noticed what the chief had done for his monkey troops. The king said it was a noble thing to do and that he would promise that the monkey chief would be taken care of for the rest of his life! I didn’t expect the king to care much for the monkeys but once the king noticed what the monkey chief was willing to do for his monkey troops, it makes sense that he would honor that because he knew what it meant to lead troops through life and death!

Warning: Plot Twist!

Source: More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

Reading Notes: More Jataka Tales Part A

In the story of The Girl Monkey and the String of Pearls, I was interested to see the outcome so mild. The girl monkey waited to steal the string of pearls and when she eventually got them, I assumed that the guard would have been executed for losing the pearls. Then when the guard set up a plan to find them and lured the girl monkey out, I thought the girl monkey would be executed for taking them. Instead, it only mentioned that the guard was praised for his idea! It was just a different ending than I thought it would have. Then, as I read about the Stupid Monkeys and how they were given the task of watering the trees, it reminded me of a joke I heard years ago. In the joke, two guys were tasked with measuring the height of a flag pole. One started to lay it down to get the measurement and then the other guy said, we were told to measure the height! Not how wide it is! In the story, the monkeys were unsure of how much water the trees needed, so the leader said to pull them up and water them according to how long the roots are. It ended up killing the trees!

Stupid Monkey!

Source: More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

Reading Notes: The Jataka Tales Part B

Today I read about the elephant named girly face. The elephant was the nicest elephant who would never do any wrong. He always treated averyone nicely and would not harm any of the trainers. The head trainer always said that girly face is the nicest elephant and he would do no wrong to anyone! One night, some robbers were sitting outside girly face’s enclosureand began talking about how to rob a home. The robbers spoke of how they must kill anyone who was awakened in the house. They must be cruel and show no mercy so that they can be successful. Girly face heard this and decided that they were trying to teach him how to live his life. From then on he killed all the trainers that would enter the enclosure. After so long, the king hired a wise man to figure out why girly face had changed so much. The wise man asked around and found out about the robbers and their conversation outside of girly face’s enclosure. He told the king to send good men to have conversations and that would have the same effect on girly face. After this was done, girly face returned back to the normal elephant that he was and never killed anyone again. This story is great at showing why it is important to surround yourself with people who will uplift you and not bring you down.

Friends can lift you up!

Source: The Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

Reading Notes: Jataka Tales Part A

The Jataka tales are very interesting! I loved reading the stories and seeing how they ended. There were some that were all about trickery and deception, and there were some that did not need trickery or deception to make a fool of one of the characters. The monkey and the crocodile was interesting because it made sure to note several times that the crocodile was stupid. It wasn’t that the monkey was smart, the crocodile was just stupid and couldn’t keep up with the monkey’s thinking. In the story of The Sandy Road, the leader of the drivers almost made a fool of himself by telling everyone to throw out their water and supplies because they would reach the city by the break of day and be off the sand. He fell asleep and lost the way which meant they were still on the sand by day break. He searched frantically until he spotted a tuft of grass, which meant there was water underneath. He ordered a hole to be dug there and when they hit a rock, he ordered a boy to strike the rock until water came forth. They drank the water and went on to the town, but it almost turned into a disaster. Some of the stories were about learning life lessons rather than having a character that was made a fool of. The story of The Ox Who Envied the Pig showed that it is better to be content with little and live longer with family rather than be given the “choice food” of death and enjoy it only for a time that will quickly come to an end. These stories were short but held many values and lessons in them. It was great to see all the cunning and witty characters come out on top!

All about the trickery!

Source: The Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part D

During today’s reading, I read about how a father went to seek vengeance on his son’s killer. The evil Jayadratha, along with his 6 warriors fought Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna. Though his chariot had been destroyed, and the charioteer was dead he continued to fight the warriors, and defeated them one by one. The Pandavas tried to help him, but Jayadratha and Karna would not allow it. Abhumanyu received a wound on his forehead, and the blood poured down into his eyes, and blinded him for long enough, that the son of Duhshasana killed him. The story depicts his death to be a peaceful one, and not one of a man slain in battle. Once the man’s father, Arjuna heard that his son was dead, he made a vow saying, “May the course of a father and the vengeance of a warrior smite the murderers of my boy! May I never reach heaven if I do not slay Jayadratha on the morrow.” A spy heard this, and informed Jayadratha, so he went into hiding, “trembling in fear”. The next morning, Arjuna and Krishna drive swiftly across the land, fighting many warriors to reach Jayadratha. From an elephant, Duhsjasana faced him. When Drona blocked the way, Arjuna refused to fight him. Duryodhana also fought him, as well as Bhurishrava, who they slew. As they closer to the sunset, they went up against many warriors until finally, they found Jayadratha as the sun was setting. However, Karna attacked Arjuna, but Krishna covered the sun, making it look as though the sun had set, so Karna retreated and Arjuna defeated and cut off the head of Jayadratha. This story was intense, and showed the love and the loyalty that this father had for his son, and the lengths he could go to find his killer. 

Arjuna defeats Jayadratha.

Image Found Here

Source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Found Here

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part C

During today's reading, I read about Arjuna and his journey to the mountains. He went up to the mountains to pray and live off of the land. Whatever the land provided to him was what he could have for food. Arjuna stayed in the mountains for several months eating smaller and smaller amounts until he only needed air to sustain himself. The air alone would supply him and he would no longer need food. He kept praying until he reached a point that he could stand with his arms lifted and without support for days at a time. I like the idea that he was living and breathing nothing but what he wanted to accomplish. He was seeking strength from the gods and nothing would be able to stop him once he attained that strength. During his prayers, a boar charged at Arjuna with intentions of killing him. Arjuna pulled out his bow and shot an arrow at the boar while at the same time, a hunter shot a dart at the boar. Hitting it at the same time, Arjuna and the hunter both got angry accusing each other of interfering with their shots and claiming it was their boar to kill. The hunter had his wife and several followers and appeared to be some king of the land. Arjuna said they should battle for it and the hunter agreed. Arjuna knew that this hunter must have been important since he was being followed by so many. Still, Arjuna challenged the hunter. After Arjuna shot until his quiver was empty, the hunter had absorbed all of the darts and was clearly not mortal. Arjuna didn't give up and challenged the hunter to wrestle for it. Being touched by a hand, Arjuna began to pray some more and cast garlands of flowers onto an image of the god he was praising. Instantly the garland was around the hunters neck and it was revealed that the hunter was the god and was pleased with Arjuna for recognizing and praising him. Arjuna was granted weapons and was blessed for his time spent on the mountain. I see this as Arjuna putting in time and effort to a goal and attaining that goal.

Arjuna receives the Pashupata from Shiva

Source:Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita
Found here

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part B

As I continue to read more, I find it odd that a queen is acting as a beggar with her sons. When they escaped the palace that was set to burn, there was a family of beggars that took the queen and her sons place. They burned with the palace and everyone mistook their bodies for the queen’s and her sons. After escaping, a rakshasa fell in love with Bhima and completely abandoned her brother. Her brother happened to be the chief of the forest and after finding out she had disobeyed his orders, he threatened to kill them all including his sister. Bhima fought him and seemed to have been playing with him until his brother said to defeat him before the rakshasa gains more power from the sun rise. Bhima defeated him pretty easily and then defeated a “pest” in the next town. His mother, the queen, only had to think of him being there and he appeared to help them. Once again, the queen was living in a home of another family as a beggar. After leaving that town, they came across a large crowd who were travelling to see Nalayani, a woman who was famous for being fair and wanted as a wife. In her past life, she had a husband who was very happy, and they had a great life together. At one point, the husband decided that he would refrain from sexual desires and would not give in to her sexual desires. This made her upset and protest to Shankara. She said “I want a husband, I want a husband, I want a husband, I want a husband, I want a husband.” After protesting, Shankara said that in her next life, she will have five husbands because she asked five times. She did not like that response and tried to protest, but he said that it must be that way. Of all the men gathering to become her husband, five would be chosen because of her actions in her past life.

Vyasa tells Drupada about Draupadi's past life.

Source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Found Here

Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part A

It’s interesting how Shantanu found his lovers and what had to be promised for them to be with him. Bhishma seemed to give up everything for Shantanu no matter what it would cost. It makes me wonder why he cared so much for Shantanu and why he was willing to give up his right to the throne so that Shantanu would have who he wanted as his bride. Even when shantanu passed away, Bhishma still cared for his half-brother and made sure to find him a wife so that he could carry on the kingdom. Bhishma was completely capable of taking the kingdom for his self. Given how easily and joyfully he defeated the kings, it seems he wouldn’t be bothered morally to take the kingdom from his half-brother. Yet, he does whatever it takes to ensure his half-brother retains the throne. Bhishma’s actions did not account for much since Vichitravirya died before having any heirs. Even then, Bhishma did not take the throne or have a son to take the throne. When asked about having an heir, he reminded Satyavati that he promised he would never have children. Vyasa was the one to produce an heir, but was very unattractive. The first two sons were not good enough, so Ambika brought her handmaiden to bear a child. This child was chosen by Dharma as his incarnation and was chosen as heir along with Pandu, “the pale one”. One thing that surprised me was that Amba was so distraught that she wanted to destroy Bhishma. She was so filled with fury that Shiva appeared before her and promised that she would be able to slay Bhishma. She would reincarnate as a man and become strong enough to destroy Bhishma. So she gathered wood and set it aflame and stepped into it promising to come back and not rest until Bhishma was beaten. Talk about raging fury…

Sadhu in Pashupatinath temple, Nepal.

Source: Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie
Found Here

Reading Notes: PDE Ramayana Part A

I thought it was interesting that Dasharatha wanted a son so bad, and then he ended up getting four sons because of Vishnu. He had everything he wanted, including three wives, but he was full o sorrow because he didn’t have a son. After making an agreement, he suddenly has four sons that will be strong warriors. Then at the end of his life, he remembers that he was cursed to not have a son. When he died, none of his sons were present with him. It’s pretty interesting to wonder if he remembered the whole time that he was cursed, or if he tried to overcome the curse by making a deal with Vishnu. I could see how this relates to our everyday life and how we think sometimes we can ignore certain restrictions or obstacles in our life. Also that Rama was so successful, and yet was forced into exile because of his father. He obeyed and willingly went into exile, and stayed there for fourteen years through his fathers death. Sometimes our actions carry further than just ourselves, and even into the next generation.

Dasharatha’s sons.  Picture found here.

Source. Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)
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