Ethan Kahn India Epics

Hanuman Competes in the Olympics Hanuman      The Tokyo 2020 Games had finally begun. However, as soon as the spectacular opening ceremony  concluded, an unexpected competitor arrived. The audience heard the most powerful thunder they  ever had, coming from the sky over the Olympic Stadium. Hanuman erupted down through the  clouds in a gigantic form and landed right in the middle of the ceremony. The audience and athletes  from all countries were astonished.       Hanuman announced in a thunderous voice "I am here to put in my bid as a contender for this  Olympiad!" The crowd gasped and could not even believe that Hanuman was real, much less that he  was going to compete. "I will represent myself as a 'nationality' and compete in all of the events!"  Hanuman declared. All of the athletes from every nation turned to each other with looks that  exclaimed "well, there goe...

Krishna Storybook

Rama and His Followers Enter Heaven      Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myths and Legends by Donald A. Mackenzie  Web Source      Reading Notes:      * The monkeys build a bridge to Lanka.       * They attack the rakshasas and a great battle ensues.       * Many powerful rakshasas are slain.      * Ravana has his subjects wake Khumbakarna with music, dancing, and elephants. None of which work. Finally, he awakens to beautiful women caressing him.       * Khumbakarna is fed swine, deer, and humans.      * He's not satisfied and goes to the battlefield to devour the monkeys.      * Thousands of monkeys are devoured by Khumbakarna. He also injures Hanuman and captures Sugriva.       * Rama defeats Khumbakarna.       * Indrajit joins the fight. ...

Hanuman in Ravana's Palace      Reading Notes:      * Rama and Lakshmana meet the monkeys and the bears.       * Rama helps Sugriva defeat Vali and become King.      * Rama and Lakshmana gather forces with the monkeys and the bears.      * The monkeys and bears search for Sita.      * Sampati, the Vulture King, tells them that Sita is in Lanka.      * Hanuman leaps over the ocean to Lanka.      * He searches through the city of Lanka.      * Hanuman finds Sita in an Ashoka grove, guarded by rakshasis.       * Hanuman burns the forest.      * Ravana sends forces after Hanuman. Hanuman finishes them all off.       * Hanuman lays waste to Lanka and then leaps back to India.       

Constructive Feedback and Growth Mindset Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback by Marshall Goldsmith      I really enjoyed this article because I've had experiences with the strategies discussed and I think that they're very innovative and necessary. For some people, being a leader is such a power trip that they don't like the idea of receiving constructive feedback. Some people are just in leadership positions to enjoy power over others while being immune from scrutiny. They're not in it to actually  lead  people to a better place. Which, is the very reason leadership positions were invented in the first place; to give us some kind of orderly example to follow so that we could improve. Therefore, it's necessary that leaders receive feedback so that 1. we can make sure they're not just getting some power trip out of it and 2. to actually help our leaders help us improve. Which is what leaders are for. I also liked how this article changed  feedba...

Krishna Topic Research The Universe in Krishna's Mouth      I decided to choose Krishna as my Indian topic because he is, quite simply, the most powerful character in any Hindu story. He's described as not only Vishnu's eighth avatar, but also the incarnation of Bhagavan in human form. Bhagavan is the absolute form of Brahman which holds all things within Itself. This is what puts Krishna in a league that's all his own. Krishna's life is also very exciting and adventurous. It incorporates elements from all genres of storytelling.  Krishna: Retold From The Bhagawat Puran      This tells the stories of the events before Krishna's birth, his miraculous birth, his childhood  adventures, and his battle with King Kamsa. I'm not quite sure how I would adapt these stories yet  but I know there's a ton of ways to do it because the stories seem so in depth.  Pradyumna: Son of Krishna      I didn't ev...

Rama vs. 14,000 Rakshasas Statue of Rama in Kangra District      "Certainly Shurpanakha won't be very happy that you cut off her ears and nose" said Rama,  bluntly joking. "Eh, don't be so conservative. If anything, I made the hag look better" Lakshmana  retorted back to his elder brother. The two were sitting in the jungle of Panchavati with Rama's  consort, Sita. While they were resting after defending Sita from Shurpanakha, that fierce rakshasi  was racing off into the jungle like a mangy cat.       She reached the post of her two rakshasa cousins, Khara and Dushana. "Why Shurpanakha, you  look to be in rough condition" boasted Khara. "If you ask me, she looks better" commented Dushana.  "Don't push me, Dushana! I've just run two miles through the jungle in this condition!" "Yes, why are  you bleeding" asked Khara. Suddenly, Shurpanakha's composure went from v...

Ravana and Sita      Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie  Web Source      Reading Notes:      * Bharata returns and finds his father dead and Rama exiled.      * Sets out into the jungle to find Rama.      * Finds him, but Rama refuses to return to the kingdom. He still wishes to fulfill his deceased father's wishes.       * Rama and company pass through a few jungle hermitages, meeting different sages and ascetics along the way. Some give him and his brother powerful celestial weapons.       * They battle a demon who tries to run off with Sita. They kill him and bury him, freeing him from a curse. The demon rises to heaven.       * They meet Ravana's sister who tries to seduce Rama. Rama refuses.       * Ravana's sister goes to one of her brothers. He...

Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana      Bibliography. "Ramayana" from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie  Web Source      Notes:      * Vishnu agrees to incarnate on Earth in human form on behalf of the gods.       * He must be human to defeat Ravana, king of the Rakshasas.       * Born in as the four sons of King Dasharatha. Rama is the eldest.      * Rama and his brother, Lakshmana, become known for slaying demons.       * Rama lifts Shiva's bow in Mithila.       * King Janaka weds Rama to his daughter, Princess Sita.       * The 4 brothers are each wed.       * Rama becomes heir to the throne.      * Bharata is made the heir and Rama is exiled, joined by Sita and Lakshmana.      * Bharata is with Shatrughna when their fa...

Feedback Loop A Fixed Mindset Could Be Holding You Back      As an athlete, I definitely related to the point that this article was making. There's an old saying (I don't remember who wrote it). "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." I feel that people who 'can't' do things are people who put themselves in that kind of a mental state before getting stuck physically. The people who don't put limits on themselves literally don't have as many limits. Our minds can be more powerful than we give them credit for.  Rewire Your Self-critical Brain      I feel like this article gave physical evidence to back up the point of the previous article. It falsified stigmatic ideas about our brains not growing passed a certain age. What's more, this article gave scientific evidence that our emotions can affect our brains physically. This idea is very powerful to me. It shows how feedback, criticism, and our ...

Shiva Seven Secrets of Shiva      I would love to write a story revolving around Shiva as the main character. There's so many different beliefs about his true nature and full power though. I think that this story could give me another perspective of Shiva that I haven't heard of yet.  Krishna      There's a lot qualities to Krishna stories. In them, I feel like you can find something from every genre. They contain action, romance, horror (since he fights demons), fantasy, adventure etc. There's a ton of things I could write using one of Krishna's stories as my baseline.  Ten Incarnations of Vishnu      I feel a graphic novel about all ten of Vishnu's incarnated lives could really pull me in and inspire my own story. Vishnu has lived as a fish-man, lion-man, perfect-man, boar, dwarf etc. I'm excited to read more from this source.  Mahabharata      This is an Indian Epic that I ...