Indian Epics: A Blog by Trace Youngman

The crane and the crab:  Wikimedia commons       It started softly as a silent rumble that shook the earth. The rumble slowly grew louder and off in the distance a large mass of animals was moving through fields of grass and grain and wheat. As the rumbling grew louder, the animals could be made out. They were deer that were running from a chariot controlled by a King. The King shouted and threw spears as the deer ran. The deer trampled anything in their path. As the deer came and went, one of the villagers watching spoke and said, "We must do something about this." Other villagers nodded in agreement because it was their land the deer were trampling over. "We cannot do anything about the King," another villager chimed in. It was sad; The villagers had a good relationship with the deer until the King started hunting them. However, it was their lively hood at stake and they could not risk their lively hood for an animal.       When this ...

Turtle That Wouldn't Stop Talking:  Wikipedia    It was a couple of months ago when I first heard of the great Oasis. Merchants and journalists running up and down the street yelling "Have you heard the news? A great oasis exists deep in the desert, so no weary traveler will ever run out of water." My name is John, but some call me the Wise Merchant. I don't believe I am wise, but I know know more now than when I first became a merchant. I have been stolen from, lied to, and betrayed by some of my closest friends. I have learned from these mistakes and that's why some people may consider me wise. When I heard the news I was excited. Knowing that I did not need as much water meant that I cut the costs of traveling by not having as many wagons, not buying as many oxen, and needing less people to travel with and pay. However, after thinking about the news for a couple days, I began to get skeptical.       I began to think, "who are those merc...

Yudhisthira and his Dog      I have only begun my journey into Hell only fifteen minutes ago, but to be honest, it feels like hours. My name is Yudhishthira and earlier today I was minding my own business walking along a dirt road. To be honest, I had no real destination in mind and I have been wandering ever since my four other brothers had died. On top of that, my old dog Rufus died just a few days ago, so I was truly alone for the first time in my life. As I walked along the dirt road, a man flew down from the sky in a chariot powered by stallions. As it flew down to me, I noticed that it was not a man driving but rather the god Indra.      The god Indra and spoke to me and said "I have been watching you for your entire life. I have watched you as your kingdoms have flourish and fallen, as you were sent away in exile for thirteen years, and even today as you walk alone." To be honest, I felt a sense of pride for the fact that a god has been wat...

       Davavrata vows to give up the throne:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bheeshma_oath_by_RRV.jpg      I guess people think naivety is the reason I gave up my place on the throne. Truth be told, naivety has nothing to do with it. When I was younger, I was hunting for my father, King Shantanu, to kill a deer for dinner for the next couple of nights. I was hunting alone when I saw the largest deer to walk this earth. I quickly drew my bow and fired. However, instead of hearing the deer whine and thud to the ground, I heard a visceral scream. I kept hearing the screaming "AHH AHH" as I walked over. I eventually found a Brahman laying on the ground. He has always been known as a great Brahman, but that day, he took the form of a great deer and he said to me, "As punishment for ending my life, you will never take the place of your father on the throne." I remember being quite taken aback, but I quickly understanding why my punishme...

Hanumann:  British Libraries      My name is Hanuman and I never thought I was special. I thought I was destined to serve in the Monkey Kingdom as no more than a peasant solider and eventually pass onto heaven. However, I have distinct memories from childhood leaping far into the air to try and catch the wind to fly away from home. These plans never worked out, and I remember not being allowed to leave my home tree for months after my parents found out what I had done. I grew up a lot in that short time, and I forgot about my ability to jump far. The Monkey Kingdom was very stable for all of my life up until recently. Recently, Sugriva, the monkey king, and his brother, Vail, had a big argument. Vail wanted to continue expanding the empire while Sugriva wanted to keep things the way they had always been. Vail and Sugriva began fighting until Vail eventually ousted Sugriva. There were years of infighting after Vail was crowned king, and right as it seemed like ...

Death of Maricha:  Wikimedia Commons     I knew from the moment I met Rama that I would never be able to kill him. Recently, my twin brothers were killed in battle with Rama. I escaped as soon as I realized that the battle between us would not be won and I sulked my way back to the camp I am living in. I walked for days thinking about my brothers being effortlessly slain by Rama, and at first, I was angry. I wanted to get revenge, but I lacked the energy and willpower to do so because of the days of walking. As I mourned their deaths, I began to realize that I would be unable to fight him, and I could only hope that someone more powerful than I would defeat him. During my sorrow, a rakshasa more powerful I came through my camp. Alone and in despair, I welcomed him into my home and it was then he told me his plan. He, along with dozens of other rakshasas, would attempt to capture and slay Rama. The Rakshasa, Shiv, needed me to join them in battle. At first, I wa...

Rama battling the Demons:  Wikimedia Commons  Lakshmana Diary Day 35     My first memory as a child is Rama and I sitting with our father, King Dasharatha, and our other two brothers at dinner. Even as a young child, I could tell that my father greatly favored Rama over us three, but it did not bother me. I have always known that my brother is special, and I figured that I should support him with whatever he does. Even if it means sitting in his shadow. I first figured out that he is different when he fought back demons who were killing off a local farmers livestock. During the fight, he summoned animals from the forest and used the land around him to win the battle: four demons to one Rama. But this is just the beginning. Soon after, we were shopping at a local market when he saw a beautiful woman. She moved gracefully throughout the market with a sizeable entourage following signifying that she was important. Rama caught her eye, and after talk...

The Cranes:  Wikimedia Commons     The Cranes were starving. After months of raising their young, the Cranes’ offspring finally flew away from home to live their own lives, but left their parents hungry and tired. They were flying around for days unable to find food until the Cranes happened upon a pond. It was the height of summer, and the pond and the animals in it were heating up. Seeing this, the Cranes came up with a plan. They would gain the animals’ trust to allow the Cranes to bring them to a bigger lake and a better life. However, the Cranes were not going to bring them to the lake. They would stop short only to kill and eat them. Despite the pond being full of the life, the Cranes knew they would likely become hungry quickly if they ate all the animals too fast. To keep themselves fed longer, the Cranes planned to make the nearby lake sound like a couple hour trip. After devising the plan, the Cranes descended on the lake to speak with the animals a...