Epics of India

Brahmastra Arguably the greatest weapon of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, this celestial weapon is so great that one can only use it once per lifetime. This weapon was used in the war of Mahabharata , and is said to be able to destroy worlds. It was created by Lord Brahma, the creator god in Hinduism. To use it, one has to have immense mental concentration and pray to Lord Brahma. It's intention is only to be used as a last resort. Sudarshana Chakra This weapon is unlike other usual weapons that we usually see wielded by gods and heroes. Instead of a sword, bow, or axe, this weapon functions as a spinning spiked disk. It is serrated and said to have 10 million spikes going in two rows around it. It's used in multiple legends, including Krishna beheading Shishupala with it. This seems like a pretty unique weapon. Shiva Dhanush This weapon is a bow, created by Lord Shiva . It was originally created when Shiva made two bows, and gave them to Rudra and Vishnu . Eventually,...

            There once was a kingdom of monkeys that lived deep within the jungle. This was The Kingdom of Vihren, where monkeys from all over the planet traveled to behold the magnificent land. The King of Virhen was a noble monkey named Jakook.                          One day, Jakook decided he would offer a test of strength for monkeys from all over the world to come try, in order to find a suitor for his monkey daughter, Sina. In front of the kingdom gates laid an enormous rock. This rock had been there for thousands of years, and it had never moved. Jakook declared that any monkey that could lift the rock could have Sina’s hand in marriage.             Monkeys from all over the lands came, including big powerful apes. However, none could move this rock. Then one mor...

Battle with Khara setting is eerie, with the sky being blood red and a full eclipse occurring  Rama dares to take on the demons by himself, telling Lakshman and Sita to go to a nearby cave Rama is dressed in full gleaming armor, with a sword and bow as his weapons Khara charges at him with a chariot Rama uses fire arrows and his celestial sword to kill and wipe out the 14,000 demons Viradha demon, whom is cursed, abducts Sita from Rama and Lakshman  description of demon is grotesque, with hollow eyes and a disfigured body Rama pierced the demon with seven arrows, but the demon was immune to sharp weapons Rama and Lakshman let the demon pick them up after he sets Sita down. They then break both his arms and make him wounded. Start punching and kicking the demon, but he won't die They decide to make a pit to throw him in After they throw the demon in the pit, the demon reveals that he was actually Tumburu, and had been cursed by Kubera. Rama had to defeat Tumbu...

Ramayana: Rama Wins Sita Rama has to prove his strength by being able to bend the bow of gods, including Janak's bow of war Many warriors come from far to try to wield the bow but none can except Rama Wielded bow of Rudra Sita becomes his wife because of it Similar story to King Arthur and the legend of the sword Ramayana: King Janaka King Janaka presents the challenge of anyone being able to bend the bow of Shiva's bow may marry his daughter Rama and his brother travel to bend the bow, facing demons in their path Nobody has been able to bend it, including demons, humans, and gods Thataka Rama battles with a rakshashi, a female demon He cut off her arms and shot her with arrows She resorted to becoming invisible Rama becomes rushed by a group of rakshasas, led by the mother of Thataka, and Rama summons the weapons he was granted when he killed Thataka. One of the weapons blasts the demons thousands of miles away to see, while the other weapon consumed other demo...

Why rejection hurts so much - and what to do about it , written by Guy Winch. This article provides good insight on why we instinctively feel so bad about rejection. It turns out, rejection is a response in our body that is related to the pain receptors in our brain. Getting rejected from your tribe or island could've been a death sentence back then, so it made sense for our feelings of rejection to feel like actual pain sometimes. Being hard on oneself is good, but this article points out how more times than not, a person usually overly-criticizes themselves, which can be harmful. Doing things as easy as making a short list about what you're good at or important for can make you feel better. A fixed mindset could be holding you back - here's how to change it , written by Anna Kelsey-Sugg. This is a theory I've heard of a lot in life, because I believe it is something that should be taken seriously. Fixed mindsets seem to be a problem for a lot of people in this era o...

Project Idea #1: Epic Battles This is an theme that interests me because ancient warfare can be really intriguing, it is something that I would like to learn more of. I have no knowledge of any epic battles of India, neither real nor fiction, so it is something that I could learn about. The battles contain armies of several different animal species, including humans, monkeys, and bears, so it could be interesting. I’d like to learn some of the greatest battles, and possibly retell them using some interesting different characters or perhaps a complete plot rewrite. This is one source used previously that I would like to base my project off of. Project Idea #2: Epic Heroes Of course, with every epic battle comes an epic hero to fight in it. This is a theme I could also imagine doing because, once again, battles and heroes make for really great stories to retell. I'd like to learn some of the greatest heroes in the  Ramayana and the Mahabharata. This past example is really...

            Once, there lived a fluffle of bunnies on a hillside in the deepest part of the valley. They had lived there for many years, but after so long, there green grassland had begun to dry up. Their food was beginning to disappear, and so did the size of their fluffle.              On the other side of the mountain, in a very large and thriving forest, lived an Eagle. Eagle was a prideful hunter, always gloating to himself and others of how clever and skillful he is when catching his prey. One day, he decided to go to the other side of the mountain, where he spotted the bunnies. He came up with a plan to eat them all.             Eagle swooped down to the hillside, so the bunnies could have a clear view of him as he made his descent. Once on the ground, he proudly waltzed his way over towards the bunnies. With their ful...

The Cunning Crane and the Crab by  W. H. D. Rouse was my favorite out of all eight stories. Intriguing characters such as somewhat cunning Crane, foolish fish, and even more cunning Crab. I thought the plot build up was somewhat grotesque with the fish being eaten one-by-one. Fish had a very bittersweet death, Crane had what was coming. Fish were in a dire situation and had no chance but to take a risk for a better life. The Crane saw this opportunity and had greater ability than the fish to deceive them. Crane uses one to convince the others, and then they were eaten one-by-one. Crab, although in a dried up pond, took advantage of Crane and was able to get a ride to the lake and not be eaten. Crab even ended up killing Crane, even though Crab didn't need to for food, was purely out of karma. Crane's strengths: natural born abilities, patience, ability to detect an opportunity.  Crane's weaknesses: ability to be easily deceived, even by those with much less capabiliti...

I have chosen to read the Public Domain Edition: Ramayana. I chose this option because, although it is written differently from a variety of authors, it is also free and easy to access online. The Lord of Lanka  and Kubera  are two comics that interest me. The Lord of Lanka interests me because he is described as the king of demons, a title that must be pretty grand for a reason. Kubera also draws my interest because he is the guardian of wealth. I wonder if he falls victim to his own greed, or if he can maintain his title and not become overwhelmed with the responsibility. Ancient Technology - Atlantis and India and Food for Gods  were two videos that caught my attention. Ancient technology is cool because it gives some possible answers to phenomenons that ancient civilizations left behind, like the great pyramids of Egypt. It also draws a comparison from Atlantis to India, and Atlantis has always been fascinating because of the great myths that surround it. Food for Go...

Eat the Frogs First Thing in the Morning This article gives good insight on how to go about accomplishing smaller tasks that can be done right away. Things that you don't want to do but need to be done are the things that should be taken care of first. Next, do the things that you want to do and also need to do. Lastly, do the things that you want to do but don't need to do. I think this is good advice for organizing a daily or weekly itinerary. Also, it gives a good tip about accomplishing things that take less than two minutes to do. If it takes less than two minutes to accomplish, do it right away to get it over with. The Myth of "Too Busy" In contrast to the last article, I actually did not find this one to be that beneficial to my organization skills. It included a lot of tips and skills that I don't personally agree with. For example, instead of telling someone I am "too busy" to spend time with them, the article suggests I should use the phras...

Honestly, I am not familiar with these technology tools. I believe that technology is best used when there is only a certain amount of it. I really don't like it when people try to use technology for things that it is not necessary for. For example, my parents try to use technology way too much. I believe this is a common theme in older generations because they feel like they need to exploit every ounce of new technology they can. My parents are a huge fan of the Google homes and voice-activated systems that help you navigate the web or play your favorite playlists. Personally, I think a voice recording box that sits in your living room is a terrible idea, because it has a microphone that is always hooked up to the internet. To believe that this voice-recording system is only "activated" when you tell it to is honestly quite foolish. This is how I feel about a lot of technology. Too many times, people overcomplicate methods by incorporating technology. This has been the c...

The reading assignments are probably the reason why I signed up to be in this class. I have always enjoyed reading, especially stories that I haven't heard before. I just think they're fun. Since this is the first online class I have ever taken, I can firmly say that this class is unlike any other that I have taken. In addition, I have never taken a class with this type of structure, so I will try to be patient and not become frustrated easily. Wikipedia trails is an extra credit assignment that seems fun because I have played a sort of game like that before using the Wikipedia links. Reading Click here for link

I believe the growth mindset is a good tool for learning. A person doesn't learn new things unless they are challenged, of course. Personally, I think I am a little in between a growth-minded and a fixed-minded person. There are a lot of ideas that I can open up to, such as hearing different strategies to accomplish a task. However, there are also some circumstances where I don't want to change my opinion, and can become stubborn or stuck on an idea. I don't think everyone needs to be super open minded, however. The problem I have with the growth mindset philosophy is that constantly being challenged and tested on one's abilities will eventually lead to a great amount of stress in the body. Although we think of stress as just an emotion, it is actually very harmful to our bodies longterm and can be responsible for a lot of chronic health problems. It is OK to not be challenged sometimes, because our brain needs a break from super challenging critical thinking every now ...

Howdy y’all, my name is Ethan Rafferty, a 3 rd  year student at the University of Oklahoma. I’ve been a sooner fan since I was born, because my Dad attended the university, so I was raised around the culture. One could say that I was brainwashed to go here, but I truly do love the school, from the academics, to the campus, to the sports. I am 21 years old, and I am from Flower Mound, Texas, a suburb just north of Dallas. There, I was raised by my mother and father with my two sisters. I am the middle child, and also the only boy, so it was quite the experience growing up with my siblings.              My major is Health Exercise Science. I did not initially come to OU with that as my plan, but after my first semester, I realized that natural sciences and exercise physiology interested me way more than any business degree. I believe the best part about my major is that it can allow me to help others once I graduate,...

Click for link Demon King of Lanka, Havana This is a story that I am not familiar with, and so it interests me. The title captivates me, and it tells me the story is about a demon king. The introduction does a good job of captivating my interest. There is obviously some sort of threat that comes with this demon king, as the two characters describe him as a larger threat than the other demons they have already battled in the jungle. This web page and navigation to tell the stories is well designed. The layout is simple, with images organized to one side of the page, and the story on the other side. The top has a main title image, and there are tabs at the top to use to navigate the four parts of the story. A Hero’s Adventures I am not familiar with this story, however, the title interests me as it tells me there is some sort of quest or great journey this hero must go on. The introduction, although a bit confusing, leads me to believe that this hero, Pradyumn...

My favorite place is Australia, because it is a beautiful country with great culture. Sydney, Australia. Click here for link.

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