Week 15 Story: The Battle of Lanka

Depiction of the Battle at Lanka. Source: Wikimedia

The Indian Storybook: Rama's Quest, by Richard Wilson

Ravana stood on the ramparts of his city walls on the eve of what would be the most important battle of his life.  He looked out onto the sea and saw the vast monkey hoard that was coming to take his life, spear-headed by the dreaded Rama.  He looked back on the day he had captured the thing that seemed had ultimately sealed his fate.  It was Sita, the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.  When he saw her in the forest that day, it didn't matter who she was with, she had to be his.  Little did he know she was married to Rama, one of the strongest men in all of the world who had been exiled to the forest by a vengeful queen. 
As he pondered this, one of his councilmen came to him with a plan to convince Sita to abandon hope for Rama and marry him while he still had the chance.  They would conjure up a fake head of Rama and convince her that he was killed in a night raid on the city to save her.  When they carried out this plan it worked quite well, leaving Sita utterly devastated.  Before Ravana could carry out the rest of his plan, he was called to the front lines by one of his generals.  Rama's army was here and decimating Ravana's forces. Ravana had to think up something quick if he was to even save any of his army or his generals from getting wiped out on the first day of battle.  He had some of his magicians conjure up a flying chariot and magic arrows.  One of his Rakshasa allies took these up into the sky and rained down on Rama's forces, injuring Rama and his brother Lakshmana in the process.  It seemed like Ravana's magic weapons had won them the day as Rama's forces panicked with their two leaders badly injured, but then came the Wind, a powerful deity that breathed new life into Rama and Lakshmana.  With this new burst of energy Rama's forces once again began to pummel Ravana's army as Ravana could only watch as his fate was truly sealed. 

Author's Note:  I decided to tell this story from Ravana's perspective to give a new look at how this battle played out.  It's interesting to see how the scene looks from the losers perspective and I think it adds a lot to the story overall. 

Week 14 Story: The Quail and His Farmer

A quail. Source: Wikimedia

The Giant Crab and Other Tales from Old India, by W. H. D. Rouse.

There was once a lazy quail that lived on a farm.  He would lounge around all day while the farmer worked and when the farmer was finished, the quail would meander around the field collecting food that had been churned up by the farmer.  It was an easy laid back life and the quail had nothing to worry about in the world.  One day, the quail decided that he no longer wanted to pick scraps from what the farmer would dig up during his work.  The quail wanted to taste fresh and new food instead of the same old stuff all the time.  He decides that he will go into the forest in search of fantastic new delights for him to feast upon.
He set out from the farmers land with a smile on his face and a skip in his step, thinking of all the delicious foods waiting for him in the forest.  On his way there he happened to be spotted by a great falcon.  The falcon sees the easy unsuspecting meal and decides to capitalize on the quail's situation.  The falcon swoops down and grabs the quail with his mighty claws in an instant.  Before the quail knew what was going on, he was up 100 feet in the air in the grasp of the falcon.  The quail started to scream out about his plight and what had led him into this situation.  If he hadn't been greedy and stayed on the farm, he would be just fine.  The falcon hears this and issues the quail a challenge.  The falcon wanted to prove that no matter where the quail was he could capture him.  He lets the quail go on his farm and tells him to prepare himself.  The falcon then flies up into the air and begins his nose dive towards the quail.  Just before the quail was to be captured again, the farmer stepped in and batted the falcon away.  The farmer was apparently quite fond of the quail and did not want him harmed.  When the falcon recovered from the blow he flew off in fear of being attacked again.  The quail never realized the farmer cared for him so much and was ultimately overjoyed that he now realized how good he has it on the farm.  The quail decides that he should never forget this lesson and be happy with the life he has, while he has it.

Author's Note:  I decided to give the farmer a roll in the story and to make the quail's lesson that much more apparent about appreciating what you have.

Week 13 Story: Golden Goose

Golden Goose. Source: Wikimedia

The Golden Feathers, from Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat

Once there was a poor family who lived in a small hut in the forest.  The father of the family decided one day that he was tired of scraping by  and watching his wife and children struggle, so he decides he will go out and seek wealth to bring back to them so they didn't have to live such a hard life.  The father tells this to his family and bids them farewell.  When he had gotten far down a forest path and had been away from his family for some time, a fairy appeared to him.  The fairy asked him what he was doing and why he was all alone in the forest.  He told the fairy his quest to bring his family comfort and how he had to leave them to find a way to help.  The fairy was moved by the man's devotion to providing for his family so he turned the man into a golden goose.  The goose's feathers were made of gold and he shimmered brilliantly as he moved from place to place.  The man, now a goose, immediately went back to his family.  He decided to help his family he would return periodically to them to give them one of his feathers for them to go into town and sell.  He gave them a feather and then left after he had explained his plan to them.  This continued for some time where he would return, give them a feather, and then leave.  One day the wife explained to the children that they must capture the goose and pluck all of his feathers in case he leaves one day and never returns.  The kids were sad about it but had to agree to their mothers plan.  So, when the goose came back the next time to give them a feather, the kids all jumped on him and held him down as the wife plucked all of his feathers.  They then threw the goose in a barrel to save him until his feathers grew back.  The feathers they had plucked had a problem however, because they all turned to white regular feathers when they had finished their terror on the goose.  As it turns out, the fairy had put a charm on the goose that if his feathers were ever taken from him by force, that they should revert to normal and he would never grow golden feathers again.  This shocked the wife and made her regret her rash decision.  The goose grew back his feathers and in time returned to his past human form.  The wife was shocked one day to find her husband sleeping in the barrel where the goose once was.  It was then she finally understood what the goose was doing and why it had come to them and she became inconsolably sad. 

Author's Note:  I decided to change the end of this story to make the husband turn back to normal instead of staying a goose.  I feel like it helps his wife in the story better realize the gravity of her mistake. 

Week 12 Story: Bhima vs Baka

Picture of Bhima. Source: Wikimedia

Mahabharata The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time, by Krishna Dharma

After Bhima married Hidimbi he went with her and stayed in the mountains to give her a son.  After seven months Hidimbi had a son who was a virtuous Raksasa.  He grew up unnaturally fast and soon requested that he should leave home to go explore the world.  Bhima granted him this wish and soon he would leave with the rest of the Pandavas to continue their quest to combat Duryodhana.  After they had left Hidimbi for some time they were approached by a stranger who said he would lead them to a safe place to stay.  He led them to the house of a local Brahmin where they were safe from harm and they could care for their mother Kunti.  One day Kunti overheard the Brahmin talking with much distress to his family members.  The town had apparently made a deal with a Raksasa named Baka that if once a week they would deliver food and a human offering to the Raksasa he wouldn't attack them and would protect them.  It was the Brahmin's turn to be an offering next and the family was grieving with their father.  Kunti overheard all of this and is swept with emotion.  She decides that the Pandavas will do anything to help the Brahmin and his family.  She offers an alternative to them that Bhima should go to Baka and take him out for them instead.  They are very grateful for the offer and Kunti tell Bhima so he can prepare.  The next day Bhima goes to the Raksasa and confronts him.  Baka attacks him immediately and Bhima counters every blow.  Eventually Bhima grows tired of the fight and kills Baka with one blow.  He warns all other Raksasas in the vicinity that they should leave and never devour humans again unless they want to end up like Baka.  The Raksasas all flee and the towns people cheer for Bhima.  After a little more time had passed and the town had not been attacked again Bhima decided he wanted to go back to Hidimbi.  The fight made him realize what was important to him.  He told his brothers to just call him whenever he was needed so they could win back their throne.  His brothers agreed to Bhima's request and he left them to return to Hidimbi.

Author's Note:  I wrote this story based on chapter 1.8 of the Dharma Mahabharata book.  I changed the end of the story so that Bhima returned to his wife, which I like better because he just leaves her there in the original story.  I also left it open to him helping his brothers when the time comes so he doesn't betray his family with the choice. 

Week 11 Story: The Grateful Elephant

Elephant carrying logs for a man. Source: Wikimedia.

source: The Kings White Elephant, from the Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt

There was once a small carpenter community that lived on a river.  On the opposite side of the river bank was a large forrest where they would gather their wood from for their work.  One day, as they were working, a large old elephant came to them limping.  It appeared the elephant had a problem with its front foot because it couldn't manage to put weight on it for more than a split second before it would wince in pain.  The carpenters went up to the elephant and inspected his damaged limb.  When they got close, they saw that the elephant had a large splinter right in the center of its foot.  The carpenters immediately get to work at removing the splinter and in no time they have it removed.  They even went as far as to bandage and wash the wound so that it would heal properly.  The elephant was taken aback by the carpenters kindness because he had never met people so generous and caring for other beings besides themselves.  From that point on the old elephant made it his mission to help the carpenters wherever he could to pay them back for this great service.  He began to carry heavy logs for them, roll logs down to the river for transport, and he would even bring them their tools if they needed ones they didn't have with them.  The elephant loved the carpenters and they loved him too for the service he gave them.

The old elephant had a young son that was beautiful and white.  He decided that his son should learn to help the carpenters too.  The elephant taught his son everything about helping the carpenters and the carpenters quickly grew to love the elephants son as well.  When the old elephant died, the young elephant filled his spot for the carpenters without skipping a beat.  The young elephant would also play with the young carpenters children in the river all the time when he wasn't helping the carpenters.  One day a king came walking by the riverbank and noticed the brilliant white elephant playing with the children in the river.  He was immediately impressed and wanted to buy the elephant from the carpenters for a large sum of money.  The carpenters considered the offer, but decided to turn it down for their love for the elephant was too strong and he was almost like family to many of them.  The children were overjoyed that the elephant wasn't sold and the elephant lived happily with the carpenters until the end of his days. 

Author's note: I decided to change the end of this story to where the carpenters didn't sell the white elephant in the end.  I thought it was pretty lame for them to sell him like that after all he and the old elephant had done for them. 

Week 10 Story: Krishna's Fight for Glory

Krishna killing Kansa. Source: Wikimedia

Shri Krishna of Dwarka and Other Stories, by C. A. Kincaid.

Krishna was almost ready to become a man.  He had bested many beasts so far, and to him, it looked like no one could challenge his might.  Krishna began to hear tales of a mighty beast in the forest that was supposedly stronger than any he had faced.  He set out immediately to challenge the beast and test his strength.  When he arrived in the forest he explored around for a bit until he came upon the beasts path of destruction.  Massive trees were snapped in two like twigs along the warpath of this voracious beast and there wasn't a living being in sight.  Krishna followed the path and eventually caught up with the raging beast.  When he arrived at the end of the trail he found a gargantuan Bull that was feasting on the creatures of the forest.  Once the bull noticed Krishna it charged straight for him.  Krishna, without missing a beat, grabs the bull by the horns and launches it 100 meters away, snapping a horn in the process.  Krishna then takes the horn and beats the beast with it until it is a pile of pulp, unrecognizable from its previous form.  Krishna became sad because he thought this beast would prove to be a worthy challenge, but it ended up being just like all the rest.  He accepted that there might not be any being that could challenge him and went home. 

King Kansa, in the meantime, was making preparations to send more assassins and monsters to send after Krishna.  He stopped his preparations when he heard how Krishna had easily beaten the demon bull in the forest.  Kansa didn't even send that monster after Krishna and it was much stronger than anything he had in his arsenal.  Kansa and his consort decided that the best way to deal with Krishna was to lure him to a trap in the form of a grand wrestling tournament where he would summon all of his strongest men to take down Krishna all at once.  They thought that they had better deal with Krishna soon before he becomes a man and no one can challenge him.

Krishna hears of the tournament and is aware of the plot, but still decides that he must go.  He arrives in the city and many fall at his feet worshipping his glory.  Krishna enters the arena and is immediately attacked by all of King Kansa's strongest men.  He beats them all with ease and turns to face Kansa as all of the spectators start to cheer and celebrate his great victory.  Krishna leaps up to Kansa's high throne and drags him to the arena. Kansa, knowing his fate already, gives a pitiful attempt to defend himself and perishes.  Krishna had fullfilled Kansa's prophecy, even though Kansa had tried everything in his power to prevent it. 

Author's Note:  I decided to simplify this story a bit.  I tied Krishna's fight with the bull into his fight with Kansa because it flows a little better and makes more sense that they would be related.  I also removed Balarama to make it more about Krishna vs. Kansa. 

Week 9 Story: Duryodhana's Defeat

Duryodhana facing off against Yudhishthira (in my story at least). Source: Flickr

Duryodhana in the Lake, from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie.

Karna had been slain. It was the worst possible outcome for Duryodhana's forces.  He couldn't believe the situation he was in.  Just days ago he was boasting of his superior military strength to the seemingly unassuming force of Yudhishthira, now Yudhishthira's forces were marching on his position now, with not much in their way.  Since Karna was slain, Duryodhana's forces had been scattered and in a panic.  They were still a bigger force, but they had no one leading their movements or devising strategy.  Duryodhana had to pick a new general, or his army would be destroyed in no time at all.  Duryodhana picked Shalya as the next general in command of his army, but by the time he got what little forces Duryodhana had left together, the enemy was already upon them.  Shayla lead Duryodhana's forces in a head on last resort attack on Yudhishthira's encroaching army with disastrous results.  Shayla was slain and the fragments of Duryodhana's forces either dispersed and fled or joined the other side.  Moments before Yudhishthira and his brethren reached Duryodhana's location, Duryodhana fled with his mace to hide away from the coming judgement at the bottom of a lake where he could survive indefinitely .  While he did this most of his brothers were slain by Yudhishthira and his company.  Soon all that remained of Duryodhana's grand army was Ashwathaman, Kripa, Kritavarman, and himself.  It took many days for Yudhishthira's men to discover the location of Duryodhana's hiding place, but eventually Bhima discovered where it was.

When they arrived Yudhishthira called out to Duryodhana saying, "Duryodhana, come forth and face judgment, so your Kingdom can once again be mine."

Duryodhana called back out to Yudhishthira saying, "You can have my kingdom, just leave me at peace, and you can do whatever it is you desire."

Yudhishthira refused this request, citing that he can only claim that which he has rightfully obtained in combat.  Duryodhana accepts this fact and makes a deal with Yudhishthira to fight his forces one by one until he is beaten.  Yudhishthira decides he will deal with Duryodhana immediately so he is the first to face him.  It is a greater risk, but will end the conflict sooner.  Duryodhana emerges from the lake and they begin their fight.  To no ones surprise, Yudhishthira defeats the weakened Duryodhana hastily and claims his Kingdom.

Author's Note: I didn't like how Yudhishthira didn't just take care of Duryodhana immediately, so I changed the story to give it a more abrupt and satisfying end.  

Week 7 Story: The Field of Battle

Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna. Source: Wikipedia

From Indian Myth and Legend, by Donald A. Mackenzie

It was the eve of the great battle.  Both sides had been preparing for what felt like an eternity.  Yudhishthira's side was about half the size of Duryodhana but they didn't seem to phased by that gross imbalance of military force.  They were not phased because they had Krishna on their side, and they knew that he would be the one to tip the scales in their favor.  Duryodhana had taken everything from Yudhishthira trough deceit and trickery and didn't have the foresight to see past the military might Krishna had bestowed upon him in leu of his own help, which he gave to Arjuna and Yudhishthira.  Duryodhana could not foresee the great help that Krishna would be for the other side when he took the army over Krishna because he thought that since Krishna would not fight, he would be of no use. 

Duryodhana was so confident of his victory, from his overwhelming military strength that he decides to taunt Yudhishthira, Krishna, and Arjuna.  He sends a messenger telling them, "You guys are weak.  You talk all of this shit, but never follow through.  When this battle starts you dudes are going to get wrecked! I have a bigger and better army and you can't do shit, even with Krishna."  This message angered Krishna who responded with, "For sure bro.  You have no idea how fucked you are, I'm going to wreck your whole army with fire and soon enough you'll have nothing left you scumbag."
Once Duryodhana's army heard Krishna's response to his boasting many became weary of their allegiance to Duryodhana.  They all knew Krishna could ball out and they didn't want to be on the receiving end of it.  Yuyutsu, the half brother of Duryodhana, decides that he can't remain with Duryodhana because he knows him and his entire army is about to get wrecked.  He tells his decision to Duryodhana and leaves him being welcomed openly into Yudhishthira's ranks.  At this point Duryodhana comes to realize his situation, but still decides to meet Yudhishthira's forces in battle, which lets just say it doesn't go well for him. 

Author's Note:  I decide to tell this story with a little more modernized banter between the two sides.  I think it sounds more fun and interesting when told in this way.

Week 6 Story: Ganga's Deception

Devavrata being presented to Shantanu by Ganga. Source: Wikimedia

King Shantanu and Ganga, from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie.

The eight Vasus arrived hurriedly to Ganga's home for help with a horrible predicament they had found themselves in.  They were great celestial beings with tremendous power, but had been sentenced to live in the mortal world for a transgression against Vashishtha during his holy meditations.  They had come to Ganga to plead for her help in making their punishment less severe.  They asked if she would mother their human forms and immediately cast them into the Ganges on birth so they could become celestial again.  Ganga, contemplating the request, decides that she needs something in return if she is to do this service for the Vasus.  She requests that if she does this for them, that her earthly son should be given one eighth of each of their power as payment for her service.  The Vasus agree to the arrangement and Ganga sets forth with her plan.

Ganga takes human form and waits by the Ganges for her suitor to come to her.  The person who would father the Vasus was none other than King Shantanu.  He saw her from afar when walking the river banks and was immediately drawn to her.  The closer he got, the more beautiful she became  and the more sure he was that she must be his wife.  He approached her and showered her with praise exclaiming that she must be his wife, just as Ganga had expected.  She agreed to marry him, but made him promise that he would not speak harshly to her or question her actions, lest she leave immediately.

A year later she gives birth to eight children all at once, surprising the king greatly who was overjoyed at the prospect of his expanding domain.  She did not hesitate with her previous promise to the Vasus however, and cast all eight of them into the Ganges river.  Horrified, the king for the first time lashes out at his wife for her supposed cruelty and destruction of his newly born children.  She reveals herself to him as the goddess Ganga and tells him of her agreement with the Vasus.  In an instant, after she had finished her explanation to the king, she vanished.  Both grief stricken and in awe of what he just saw, for many months the king only patrolled his palace grounds in silent contemplation of what it all means to him.  One day, many months later, Ganga appeared before the king again and delivered him a son.  The king was overjoyed and immediately taken by the boy.  The boy would be named Devavrata and would have within him the power of the Vasus, just as they had promised to Ganga years prior.

Author's Note:  I decided that this story was kind of horrific from the king's perspective, and I thought it might be a little better for the king if he is confronted with Ganga's actions once and not several times over the years.  I thought it was kind of weird that he didn't say something sooner, so instead of drawing it out over 7 pregnancies and deaths, it all happens at once. 

Week 5 Story: Rama saves Sita

Sita and Rama in the forest. source: Flickr

Hanuman was fresh on the trail.  He moved swiftly and silently like a shadow jumping on rooftops and sneeking through alley ways. He was seeking out Sita, Rama's wife, who had been stolen by Ravana a little while ago when Rama was out hunting.  She was being held in the great city of Lanka, which Ravana had ruled over for quite some time.   Hanuman had searched nearly all of the city over the past few weeks but had still not found Sita.  Then it occurred to Hanuman that he hadn't checked any of the gardens yet because he figured they would hold her away somewhere unseen.  he raced up to Ravana's personal garden and lo and behold, there was Sita sitting under a great tree in the middle of the garden.   Hanuman rushed over to speak with her and see if she was alright.  She told him to go and tell Rama that she is alright but that Rama must come get her, for no other man has a right to touch her.  Hanuman takes a piece of her jewelry as a token for Rama and left.

On his way out of the city, Hanuman is discovered by one of Ravana's sons and he is captured.  Ravana wants to make an example of Hanuman, so he sets his tail on fire and parades him through the streets.  This doesn't go as planned however, Sita prays to the Fire to leave Hanuman unharmed from the flames and it works.  Hanuman becomes impervious to the flame and breaks free of his bonds.  He runs through the streets lighting the city ablaze.  He makes one last check on Sita to make sure she was unharmed and leaves the city on fire.

Once he hears the news, Rama starts to make plans to attack Lanka and take back Sita.  He and Hanuman assemble a massive monkey army and lay siege to Lanka.  It doesn't take long for Lanka to fall when up against Rama's superior force.  He defeats Ravana and finds Sita in the garden where she had been staying for some time.  He embraces his wife and is overjoyed to have her finally return to him.  It was then that one of Rama's generals asks Rama what he is to do with Sita now that he has defended his honor.  Rama became angered at the question for in Rama's mind, there was only one place for Sita, and that was at his side as his queen.  He knocked back the general and exclaimed for all to hear that Sita was his wife and she shall remain by his side forever.

Author's Note:  I decided to tell the story from Hanuman finding Sita until Rama reunites with her.  I changed how Rama reacts to finding Sita because I think the actual story is kind of lame making Sita prove her innocence and then banishing her later.  I think this ending more aligns with modern sensibilities and makes more sense to me.

Bibliography: Sita Sings the Blues, by Nina Paley

Week 4 Story: Hanuman's Mistake

Hanuman burning the city of Lanka. Source: Wikimedia

Hanuman was spying on Ravana and his consort for quite some time in the city.  He would follow  their patrols, their servants, their elites and anyone who he thought could get some decent intel on the location of Sita.  He always traveled in the shadows, using his acrobatic prowess and wit to remain unseen by anyone he was spying on.  One night however, he found what he was looking for.  He had discovered where Sita was being kept and hastened to reach her and speak with her. He found her in a garden and quickly tried to convince her to come with him and return to Rama, but she refused because she only wanted to be touched by Rama himself.  Respecting her wishes he receives a small token from her to give to Rama.  When he is about to leave many Rakshasa princes leap out of their hiding spots.  Hanuman leaps at them immediately, taking the apparent ambush head on.  He slays many of them but eventually is captured and taken to Ravana.

Ravana decides that he will make a mockery of the monkey and will parade him through the streets with a tail on fire.  Hanuman is shacked and placed in a cage to be paraded through the streets.  His tail is lit on fire and he is set on his torturous parade.  Sita seeing this prays to Fire to bring no harm to Hanuman.  Meanwhile Hanuman cries out in pain as he is trotted down various streets and walkways throughout the city.  Suddenly when he reaches the main center of the city, the immense pain he feels fades into a cool tingling sensation.  The prayer Sita performed had been answered! Hanuman feels his strength return to him and he quickly breaks free of his bonds and the cage they had stuffed him in.  In a fury he runs through the streets setting everything he sees ablaze.  In moments the entire city is up in flames. 

Hanuman was quite pleased with his accomplishment as he sat by the lake quenching his tail and watching the blaze, when he suddenly remembered Sita. She was still in the city that was now engulfed in flame!  He rushes to the place where she was being kept to find her perfectly fine, sitting where he had left her.  Hanuman was relieved for a moment until he discovered Ravana himself sitting next to her, staring angrily at him.  Ravana leaps out and attacks Hanuman clearly enraged by his burning city.  Hanuman could have fled, but confident in his own strength, he takes on Ravana head on.  Hanuman dodges a few of his swift strikes but is eventually hit by one of Ravana's attacks.  Hanuman's right hand had been cut clean off!  He knew he had to get out of their quickly or he would surely die.  He ran out the same entrance he came in when he saw a moment between Ravana's strikes to escape.  Hanuman escaped with his life but at the great cost of right his hand.  He learned a valuable lesson about getting carried away and underestimating his enemies.  His missing hand would become a constant reminder of that lesson for the rest of his life.

Bibliography: The Burning of Lanka from Myths from the Hindus and Buddhists, by Sister Nivadita.


Author's Note:  I decided to tell this story mostly the same but with a different ending that I think fits nicely in the story.  Hanuman had no consequences for quickly burning down a whole city without thinking it out first.  I think losing a hand in battle with Ravana is a nice consequence for his shortsightedness

Week 3 Story: Rama the CoD God

A picture of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana because I couldn't find any free use material that related directly to this story.  Source: Wikimedia

It was an average day for forest life.   A few obstacles here and there, but nothing Rama could not handle.  He was very powerful and could best tasks even the most stout men had trouble with with relative ease.  He had become even stronger than when he had first been exiled many years ago by his father Dasharatha.  He lead his life in exile with his wife and his brother tackling whatever challenges came their way, but it was he who carried a majority of the workload, for he was much stronger than his brother.  One day a beautiful woman appeared before Rama and spoke to him.  

She said, "Rama you're a pretty good looking fellow, you should let me eat you wife and brother so we can live together forever."

Rama taken aback by her request laughs in her face seeing her for the evil hag she really is.  This woman was Shurpanakha, a shapeshifting Rakshasa who's true form was more hideous than one could imagine.  Shurpanakha can't handle rejection so in a fit of rage she attacks Rama's wife.  Rama's brother quickly counters her attack driving her back into the forest.  Humiliated and ashamed she returns to her brother Khara to plea for help.  Khara is outraged by the perceived assault on his innocent sister, so he makes plans to challenge Rama to one on one combat.  

A few days later Rama is out and about in the forest when he comes upon Khara sitting in a clearing waiting for him to arrive.  Rama asks what Khara is doing and what he wants.  Khara angrily shouts about Rama's assault on his siter Shurpanakha and that he was challenging Rama to a duel.

Rama agrees to the duel and asks, "what are the terms of this battle and where do we fight it?'

Khara replied simply, "that's easy, 1v1 me Rust bro"

Rama was shocked at the challenge.  He had bested many beasts physically but he hadn't played video-games or Call of Duty on his xbox in a long time.  He wasn't even sure if he remembered the controls.  But, never wanting to back down from a challenge, he accepted Khara's terms. He sat down next to Khara in front of the TV and xbox setup Khara had somehow gotten to work in a forest without electrical power for miles.  Rama had many weapons to choose from, but he went with the one he had the most experience with, the sniper rifle.  While Khara, being a little disrespectful and really wanting to win, chose a shotgun, which was preferable on a small map like Rust.  The game started and all of Rama's past experience came back to him, he remembered everything and moved and shot with the fluidity of a pro.  He dodged and countered Khara's every move and quick-scoped him into oblivion.

At the end of it all Khara was humiliated and Rama only had one thing to say, which was, "EZ PZ get gud scrub."

He had been bested by Rama at a game he thought he was the best at, which he couldn't handle, so he ran off into the forest never to be seen again.  

  

Author's Note:  I decided to tell this story relatively the same until the fight where I insert a lot of stuff that probably doesn't make any sense if you didn't play the videogame Call of Duty in the period between 2007 and 2010.  It has a lot to do with gaming culture in that timeframe centered around that game so I apologize if none of it made any sense.  Basically when someone got angry at someone in an online match, this kind of challenge is what might result.  It was fun to write and I thought I'd just kind of wing it on this one and this is what I got :).

Bibliography:

Battle with Khara Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Lakshmana and Shurpanakha Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie

Week 2 Story: The Jealous Crocodile

A monkey and a crocodile. Source: Flickr

Once upon a time there was a great and powerful monkey lord who lived on a river bank at the base of the Himalayas.  He was so great and powerful that everyone in the land that had seen or heard of him admired his strength and stature.  There was one admirer in particular that began to grow bitter of the praise and admiration the monkey constantly received from others.  This bitter creature was a great crocodile who lived in the river that the monkey lived on the bank of.  This crocodile wanted to eat the heart of the Monkey in front of all to prove to the world how much greater he was than the monkey.  The crocodile began to hatch a plan to trick the monkey into the river where he could easily overpower him and take his heart.  He began to observe the monkey's daily habits, trying to find a perfect time to lure him into the river.  He saw that the monkey would come to the banks of the river every morning to harvest figs from a tree that was on the river bank.  This is where the crocodile decided to lay his trap.  One day, when the money was harvesting figs from his tree the crocodile approached him from the river.  

The crocodile approached the monkey and asked, "why do you eat these figs from this tree when there are much tastier foods on the opposite bank with mango and labuja trees with tastier fruit than you can imagine!"  

The monkey, intrigued by the crocodiles description, responds with "I do see the fruit trees on the opposite bank but I have no way to cross the river to get to them.  If I tried to swim, I would surely drown." 

"I will carry you across" responds the crocodile, "If you can't swim well enough, you can stand on my back as I swim to the other side."

The monkey, pondering this proposal for a few minutes, decided to go along with the crocodile's plan.  He stepped onto the back of the crocodile and the crocodile began swimming across the river to the other side.  When they had reached the middle of the river, the crocodile told the monkey his devious plan.

Horrified, the monkey begins to think of any way to save his life and quickly exclaims, "You cannot eat my heart for I have left it on the river bank,  you think I would keep something so important with me all the time where I could lose it?"

This statement confused the crocodile because he assumed the monkey's heart was inside him like his own, but he also did not know the differences between a monkey and a crocodile.  In his confusion he made a hasty decision to bring the monkey back to the bank to find his heart.  He would keep the monkey in the water so he could not leave and try and figure out where the monkey had left his heart.  As he neared the bank, the monkey suddenly jumped off of the crocodiles back with tremendous force; enough to get him all the way to the bank.  This surprised and confused the crocodile because he was not aware the monkey had such strength.  

The monkey exclaimed, "you see stupid crocodile, you will never have my heart if you don't even know where to find it.  I have beaten you and you now will die."

The crocodile, stunned by the monkey's statement just laid in the river where he was too shocked to move.  The monkey then grabbed a branch from the fig tree and splintered it off into a makeshift spear in an instant.  He then thrust the spear with great force at the crocodile and pierced his heart.  The crocodile thrashed and panicked for a few moments, but it was too late, and he soon perished.  The crocodile wanted so badly to have the monkey's heart to prove his worth, but in the end, he lost his own.

Author's Note: The original story is about a crocodile who wants to please his wife by stealing the heart of a great monkey who lived on the river bank for her to eat.  The monkey bests the crocodile by tricking him into bringing him to safety by saying he left his heart in the fig tree.  I changed the story to remove the wife and make it more about the crocodiles jealousy instead of pleasing his wife.  The monkey tricks the crocodile in a similar way, but kills the crocodile in the end, instead of letting him go.  I think this makes it more interesting because the crocodile faces real consequences for his actions, instead of just a disappointed wife.

Bibliography: "The Monkey and The Crocodile" from Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock.