Storytelling Week 9: Who is the Strongest Man of All?

Who is the Strongest Man of All?




apple (wikipedia)





The heat was on. Drona had just announced the most exciting news anyone had heard in years. There was going to be a tournament against all the young men in the country to determine the strongest, most skilled warrior. Any and all men between the ages of ten and thirty were invited to compete, and almost everyone wanted to participate. It wasn't every day this sort of thing happened, so every man knew this was his one chance to prove himself. Drona even promised the winner would get a life-changing prize, but he would not reveal what the prize would be until it was won.




The men had only one week to practice, so everyone was stressed. How was one supposed to prepare for something this important in just seven days? They would need at least a month to practice all of their skills in order to feel fully prepared for such an event. They begged Drona to give them more time, but that was one wish he refused to grant. He told the men that a true warrior would not need to prepare as his talent would lie within him. He would hold practice for the men each of the seven days leading up to the tournament, and anyone was welcome to join.




Nobody slept that night. The men were so nervous and anxious and their families were too. Like Drona said, the winner's life was about to change. This was not just a tournament to prove one's worth, it was a chance to live a better life--the best life. They knew that by winning this tournament they would be know as the best, the strongest, the ultimate man. That accreditation combined with the winning prize was enough to make them sick just thinking about.



Day one of the practices was shooting practice. Drona told the men a true warrior knows how to properly shoot an arrow, so he had each of the men show him their form as he critiqued each one. He then had them practice several times shooting at a target. They must have shot 100 arrows within thirty minutes. Drona was unimpressed. "Do you all even know how to shoot an arrow? This is embarrassing! None of you will win this tournament at this rate," he said laughing.



Discouraged, the men kept shooting. They had lost confidence knowing Drona did not believe in them. Drona stood above all the men, placed a plump apple upon his head, and proclaimed, "A real man would be able to shoot this apple right off the top of my head without even blinking, but you all are just a bunch of-" Drona's jaw had dropped to the ground and everyone fell silent. The apple upon his head had been pierced directly in the center of its flesh with a golden arrow. "Who... Who shot this arrow?" Drona said trembling.



"It was I... Karna," shouted a mysterious young man. The crowd gasped and turned to the victor. Nobody knew this man. Who was he? Where had he come from? You could hear the crowd bickering and arguing that he did not even belong here.



"Well, my son, you are our victor. Only a true man would be able to strike an apple upon my head without me even flinching or moving a single hair," Drona exclaimed. "Come, we celebrate you! The tournament is called off, men. We have found the ultimate warrior!"



Karna felt on top of the world. Drona presented him with his life prize of becoming invincible with a life-long supply of riches so he would never have to worry about anything in life again. Nobody knew who Karna was or where he came from, but they gained respect for him that day.



Author's note: This story was inspired by an excerpt of Nivedita's Mahabharata. I loved this scene because it reminded me of WilliamTell, and shooting an apple of the head of someone reminds me of the short old-time stories I'd read as a child. I really changed up the plot, so not much about this story is similar to the real one. First of all, Arjuna is a main character in Nivedita's version, with him being the one that shoots the apple. I wanted Karna to be the one that shines, since in my opinion he gets the short end of the stick throughout the epic. This scene is rather short in the original, so I really expanded on it here adding a backstory to why they were doing this and adding that Karna was granted all the riches, instead of being looked down upon like he is in the Mahabharata. I also wanted to portray Drona in a more positive, accepting light. He is so stern, harsh, and unforgiving in the original story, so in my version I wanted him to be more democratic. I wanted to get creative and tell my own version of the story, and I think I achieved my goal. I think this story will go nicely in my portfolio because it's very different than the stories I currently have, and I think it will be a nice contrast without being completely different. This was the first time I have ever really strayed far from the original plot, so I really enjoyed just making up my own story and telling the reader what I thought should have happened.









Mahabharata (Nivedita)

Week 9: Reading Diary B

This week I chose to read Nivedita's version of the Mahabharata.  I had seen the options for Nivedita's writing in the past weeks, so after doing a little research I decided it was about time I chose one for my weekly reading.  The story starts with the Pandavas and the Kauravas playing and learning how to shoot arrows.  They then meet Karna, son of a charioteer, who immediately becomes Arjuna's rival. I particularly like the scene where they boys are shooting and want a chance to shoot the apple and Drona is sure nobody will hit the target, but of course Arjuna proves him wrong and nails it.  Drona arranges a tournament between all of the boys, and once again Arjuna has proved himself to be the most skilled.  However, Karna sees Arjuna's talents and is determined to beat him in a duel.  In this story the Pandava boys are banished to the forest with their mother, Kunti. The Pandavas fight for Drapaudi, but are recognized soon enough.  This is definitely an abridged version of the story, but it is still very detailed and conveys the story great.  It was easier to follow along with than some of the previous reading, and I think I will be able to base a story off of my favorite scene with the apple target this week.

Pandavas (Wikimedia Commons)

Mahabharata (Nivedita)

Reading Plan

So far I have really enjoyed reading both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, so I feel like in the weeks ahead I would like to explore more alternative versions of the stories.  I feel like doing this will go well with what I have accumulated so far in my portfolio.  However, I thought I would spend my last week of reading doing something a little different.  I thought it would be fun to explore something a little different than just the two stories at the end of the semester.  This is the reading plan I have come up with:

Week 9: Nivedita's Mahabharata
Week 10: Kincaid's Indian Heroes
Week 11: Nivedita's Ramayana
Week 12: Monro's take on Rama and Sita
Week 13: Wilson's Indian Story Book
Week 14: Nivedita's Shiva

Shiva Monument (wikimedia commons)

Reflections: Looking Forward

So far this semester has been pretty hectic for me.  I work full time and this is my only class, so I am pretty removed from school.  I have also been out of town for work quite often, which has made it difficult at times to remember to keep up with my work.  I think moving forward my main focus is on switching up my schedule.  I have been notorious for waiting til the last minute and doing my assignments at the end of the day when I'm exhausted in bed and wanting to go to sleep.   I want to make myself switch to a weekend plan of finishing the week's assignments during the weekend, at least for the most part.  I think this would reduce a lot of stress and allow me to not have to worry about doing my work after a long day of work.  I think this plan should help me be much more successful, and possibly even allow me to get ahead.  In the next few weeks I hope to get the chance to work ahead so I can maybe even finish the course a little bit early.  I definitely feel more comfortable writing and have found myself getting a little more creative, so I am excited to see what my writing is like by the end of the semester! My main motivation right now is finishing this class with an A and becoming an official OU graduate. 

Graduation (Flickr)

Storytelling Week 7: Karna, You Are the Brother

Shikhandin, a warrior born a woman, but transformed into a man, sought Bhishma in battle.  Bhishma could not bare to fight a woman, even if she was a man now.  He refused to bring his A game and was not expecting much out of this encounter.  However, Shikhandin had every intention of battling Bhishma.  Within minutes of their battle Shikhandin struck him with multiple arrows and he immediately fell to the ground near his death.

Everyone was called to come visit Bhishma as he lied on his death bed.  Most visitors he wished to speak with one on one.  He had several visitors including all of the princes and princesses in the land, but there was one visitor in particular he knew he had to have a serious moment with, and he wanted this visitor to be the last to bid him farewell.  Bhishma called young Karna to come visit him before he passed, to tell him some news he would never be prepared to hear.

When Karna heard the news that Bhishma had summoned him his stomach was in knots.  He wondered what in the world he could have to tell him that was so important that he wanted it to be his last words on Earth.  Karna nervously walked to see him.  His jaw was clinching, he was profusely sweating, and a million thoughts were running through his head.  As he approached Bhishma lying in a pile of leaves, he took a deep breath and said, "to what do I owe the honor, Bhishma?"

Bhishma was weak.  He could not sit up, he could hardly talk, and his face was as white as snow.  "Come closer, boy,"  he said as he signaled to Karna to take a seat next to him on the ground.  "I urge you to make peace, my boy," he said, "I promise you, you do not want to fight Arjuna.  He is like family to you."

"Family to me?  I cannot stand the man and I am going to take him down!" Karna said angrily, "Why would you even suggest such a thing?!" Bhishma had tears in his eyes, and Karna knew it must be very serious.  "Tell me the news, Bhishma.  I cannot wait any longer, just tell me."

Bhishma put his hand on Karna's shoulder while looking at him in dismay.  "You mustn't fight Arjuna for he is your brother.  The charioteer was nothing but a foster father to you. You were the first born son of Kunti, but she had to give you away.  Arjuna is your family, and you can't kill family.  Please, do not kill your family." And with that Bhishma peacefully passed away.

Battle (Wikimedia Commons)

Karna was upset, but more furious.  Why would nobody tell him this until now?  Why would his mother give him away?  Was he supposed to feel differently about killing Arjuna?  Because right now he didn't.  He ran through the woods looking for the rest of the Pandavas, trying to find an explanation for the madness.  He finally came across none other than Arjuna.  Karna approached him, and for the first time he had the feeling like he could not be angry with him.  "Arjuna, we cannot go through with this battle,"  he said.

"What? You're chickening out? HA! I had a feeling you weren't as tough as you pretend to be,"  Arjuna said laughing.

"No..."  Karna said, "We can't go through with this because you... you are my brother. I was the first born son of Kunti, but she could not raise me at the time, so she gave me away.  Bhishma just told me this on his death bed.  His last dying wish was for us to end the battle and bring peace again."

Arjuna was silent for what seemed like an eternity.  "This is not possible,"  he said, "you are a savage, you are not my brother."  And with anger in his heart Arjuna turned around and struck Karna, instantly killing him.   He stood above Karna as he passed away, and realized what he had done.  "My brother," he wept, "I just killed my brother.  What kind of man am I?"  Arjuna lied there next to his brother Karna crying, begging for the forgiveness of the gods and his family.  He knew he had done a horrible thing.



Author's Note:  This reading came from Wilson's Five Tall Sons of Pandu.  I chose to base my story off of section 9 of this reading.  I stuck with the same general plot of the original story, but I knew I wanted to change it up a bit.  First of all, in the original story the Pandavas shoot the arrow that killed Bhishma, not Shikhandin.  I also made a bigger emphasis on Bhishma's death.  I wanted to make it seem that it was a much bigger deal, so I elaborated on his visitors.  I made the scene of Bhishma summoning Karna and breaking the news to him much more dramatic because I felt that it should have been.  I also changed the ending up a bit.  I decided I wanted Karna to see the light and decide he did not want to fight his brother.  In the original story Karna is still determined to fight Arjuna, they go to battle without Karna telling him they are brothers and Arjuna kills him.  I felt this story would be a great addition to my portfolio because it is dramatic like many of my other stories.  I love taking intense scenes from our reading and making them a little more detailed and dramatic.  


Five Tall Sons of Pandu

Week 7: Reading Diary B

This week I chose to read Wilson's shortened version of the Mahabharata.  This version was interesting to me because there are no gods, celestial powers, or anything like that which we have seen in the past. This version strictly focuses on the humans, which I actually liked.  This version felt more modern and real to me.  The story begins with Pandu being dead and his blind brother becoming king.  Drona begins to train Pandu's sons (the Pandavas).  Once Drona felt the Pandavas had been adequately trained, he organized a tournament between them and their cousins, King Dhritarashtra's sons. The boys are engaging in pretty harmless battles, some getting a little out of hand but Drona keeping everything under control for the most part.

We then meet Karna, who challenges Arjuna, one of the most talented, to battle.  Nobody knows this Karna character, and he cannot even identify himself or his heritage or line of family when asked.  A charioteer then comes sweeping in and Karna bows to him as his father, which makes many of the boys furious, particularly Bhima.  However, after this little episode the boys come to realize just how powerful Karna must be and that he really is a fair match for Arjuna.

One of the major changes in the plot Wilson introduced was the story of Arjuna and Draupadi.  In this version, Kunti tells her son that he should not have won the prize after the archery contest and that it should go to her eldest son, Yudhishthira, making him the husband of Draupadi instead of Arjuna.  The previous version we read had Kunti declaring that all of the brothers should share the prize, making all five of her sons the husbands of Draupadi.

There were a few slight little changes in how and why the Pandavas were sent into exile, but this section stuck pretty close to the original.  The are sent to be exiled to the forest for 12 years, with the 13th year being spent in disguise.  Draupadi joins them.

Arjuna (wikimedia commons)

I loved the scene of Bhishma laying on his death bed telling Karna that the charioteer was only his foster father, and that he was actually Kunti's first born child.  Bhishma pleads for peace explaining that Arjuna is his brother, so they should not go through with battling each other, but Karna does not really care.  He is still determined he is going to bring him down.  However, upon an intense battle between the two, Arjuna eventually shoots the deadly bow to kill Karna.  I will likely base my story this week on this scene because I think it will go nicely with my theme.  I like the really dramatic scenes of the stories we read so I can elaborate on them and make them even more dramatic.

The Five Tall Sons by Wilson

Week 6 Storytelling: Yudhishthira Saves the Day

Yudhishthira Saves the Day

It was a hot July afternoon.  The hottest day they had seen in almost ten years.  The brothers were thirsty.  It had been days since they had had enough water.  They thought they would get used to the forest after a while, but it had been twelve years and they were still miserable.  They were so tired, hot, and thirsty that their vision was blurred.  They could not see anything for miles.  They thought that there must be a pond of some sort near by, so Yudhishthira had one of the brothers use all of his strength to climb a tree to look for signs of water.  Just down the way there was a glorious, glimmering pond with birds drifting above it.  This was their saving grace.  Yudhishthira sent Nakula to check out the pond to make sure it was not a mirage or the heat getting to him. 

Nakula slowly crawled his way over to the pond, using every last ounce of energy in his body.  He approached the water and was near tears.  He had never been so happy to see water in his life.  As he knelt down to get his first taste he heard a voice coming from the water.  "Stop.  Listen to me and answer my questions before you drink from this water," the mysterious voice said.  Nakula was sure he was hearing things and that it could not possibly be the water speaking to him.  He looked around left and right, but there was nobody in sight.  He gulped down as much water as he could, and then immediately fell dead. 

Wondering what on earth was taking Nakula so long at the pool, Yudhishthira sent Sahadeva to the pond to check on things.  Sahadeva crept his way over to the pond, and once he saw the sight of the water he ran right toward it.  He too was greeted by an ominous voice demanding he stop and listen before drinking the water.  Sahadeva thought he must be dreaming, for nobody in their right mind would stop him from drinking water on this 105 degree day.  He gulped the water down as fast as he could, and then he too fell dead. 

Arjuna was next.  After two of his brothers had gone missing for hours, he approached the water angrily.  He knew something was up.  However, he was not as clever as he thought, because he too disobeyed the voice as he drank from the water, and then fell dead.  Bhima quickly followed the same pattern as well.  Not a single brother listened to the voice, and each and every one of them were now lying dead beside their beloved pond.  

Yudhishthira was furious as he marched toward the pond determined to track down the brothers and get his water.  He approached the pond and saw the brothers lying there pitifully dead.  He wondered what they could have possibly done to get themselves in that situation.  He then heard the voice.  He was not to fall for the game this time.  Yudhishthira did what was asked of him.  He answered every question the voice had for him.   Yudhishthira was obedient and pleaded to the voice to not strike him dead as well.  After an hour of questioning, the voice decided he had enough, and revealed himself as the divine Dharma.  Dharma was the father of Yudhisthira, so it was no surprise that he was able to see past his tricks.  Each of the brothers were then brought back to life, and Dharma thanked dear Yudishthira for his patience and virtue.  The boys then kicked back and drank from that cool pond for three days straight, and they had never felt so refreshed.  Yudhishthira had saved the day.

Yudhishthira (wikipedia)

Author's Note: I chose the "Riddles at the Lake" section of our reading in the Mahabharata as a base for my plot in this story.  The story picks up with these brothers who had been exiled to the forest dealing with their pain.  I stuck to the story line almost perfectly, and made just a few minor detail changes.  I loved this part of the story this week, and immediately knew I wanted to re-tell it.  I chose it because I thought it would work in my portfolio nicely.  I wanted to make the story a little more dramatic, so I added details like it being overwhelming hot outside.  I also exaggerated how thirsty and tired they were to make the story more dramatic, which is my goal in most of the stories I have done so far.  I chose to very closely re-tell the story this week because this was very similar to the style of writing I did for my story Week 5, and I was pretty happy with how it turned out.  I may end up adding that story to my portfolio as well.  I like to take the stories and make them my own by adding extra detail and making them more emotional. I thought this story was a nice change from my first portfolio story, as that one was very modernized and this is more traditional.

Mahabhrata

Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).
http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/pde-mahabharata-riddles-at-lake.html