Famous Last Words: The End of a Great Journey

As I finish up my last few edits for my storybook and catch up on all my reading, it finally hit me that I am done with this class. I figured it would be fitting to have my last entry be "Famous Last Words." This class has become one of my most favorite classes I have ever taken. The subject material was exactly what I was hoping it would be and the structure of the class helped me create a course specifically to what I was wanting.

My understanding of the traditional epics has greatly improved and it has connected me with the side of India I had yet to learn about. Since this class began, I started catching cultural references to the Ramyana and the Mahabharata in everyday life and my other classes. I read an article about the political propaganda in India circulating which likened PM Modi to Rama and his opponent to Ravana. It was such a great feeling to see the poster and completely understand the implications.

I am so incredibly proud of my Storybook. I included a lot of features that weren't required just because I was getting so into the project and I wanted the website to be as realistic as possible. Now that it is finally complete, I can't wait to show my family my completed work, (and maybe teach them about Indian Epics on the way.) I think my favorite story was the two part story of Parvati and Shiva. The entire time I was adapting other people’s love stories and having Parvati give the advise but it was fun taking a step back and looking at her own love life and what got her to where she is today.

I am so incredibly thankful I took this class and am sad it is coming to a close. This class reminded me how much I love creative writing. I think I might start a blog all on my own to keep this creativity flowing. Goodbye Epics of India. It was a great semester.

Namaste

(Pixabay.com)

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Reading Notes: Ganesha

A great friend of mine has a sanskrit tattoo on wisdom.  He told me that it was referring to the Hindu god of Wisdom, Ganesha.  He wanted to get another tattoo of the sanskrit symbol for "Om" mixed in with the image of Ganesha and asked me to design the tattoo.  I was honored.  This is the sketch I drew up.

At the time, I only knew what he had told me about Ganesha but nothing more.  So this week, I decided to learn more about Ganesha.  After completing my story book and learning all about his mother, Parvati, I figured I should learn a little about him.

• Parvati wants to bathe in peace but none of the Ganas listen to her because they all follow Shiva first.  
• She creates a boy, Ganesha, who keeps Shiva from his own home and lashes at him when he tries to go inside anyway.
• Ganesha remains extremely loyal to his mother while facing great danger
• Ganesha goes to far and many people want to kill him
• Ganesha is finally defeated(head cut off)
• They fit the head of an elephant on the boy and return him to Parvati to appease her.  

Bibliography:
Ganesha, Amar Chitra Katha, Reading Guide.

Image:
Hindu God Traditional Line Art.  Found on Pizabay.com

Reading Notes: An Old Couple

Okay this is the strangest story I've ever read.  Titled "The Old Couple" I thought it would be a sweet story about long lasting love.  I guess it was in a sense... It was about a king who walked past a house in the village with an old couple nearly on the brink of death, making love in a "furious" way.  He then makes them go to court because he was grossed out by it.  At court the old couple mixed ashes with spices and said as long as one shall live, the desire for sex will still remain.  Then the King gave the couple gifts and they left.  I struggle to see the moral of the story.  It was very strange and I don't think I'll be able to use this one for a story.  Maybe not though, you never know!

Bibliography:
A Flowering Tree and Other Oral Tales From India, Ch 46. An Old Couple  

Image Information:
The image is from the collections of the State Library of NSW. Found on Wikipedia Commons.

Story:Parvati and Shiva Continued

My first day helping Shiva move into his new place was nothing like I had expected.  Shiva didn't look at me once.  He didn't say a word to me.  He voided being near me.  It was so strange.  He had specifically asked for my help but once I arrived, he pretended like I didn't exist.  I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt my feelings.  It's not the easiest thing to move someone's entire life from one house to the next with no appreciation for the work.

Day in and day out I worked.  I moved things, I cleaned things, I cooked for Shiva, I did everything for him.  Not even a thank you was muttered.  I was getting tired of my loneliness and lack of appreciation so I called my dear friend Rati to come visit.  I told her to bring Kama so that they could have time to be together outside of the village without her parents knowing.  Surely they would let their daughter visit and assist Shiva.  So the next day, the two of them came to help me.  Rate and I were packing boxes in the garage and Kama was off doing who knows what. When we left the garage and came into the sitting room where Shiva was sitting, staring at a framed picture of his beloved Sati, we saw Kama sitting beside him. Rati and I stayed back to listen in on their conversation.

Kama said, "Shiva, I know this must be tough.  She was a very beautiful woman.  Your love for her is outstanding."

Shiva just sat there and nodded his head sullenly.

Kama began to speak again, a little more hesitantly, "But...Shiva... have you thought about Parvati?  She is seriously one of the most gorgeous girls in the village!  How can you have her waiting on you without realizing what an amazing woman she is?  I know she's really shy, but she is one of the most loving, devoted girls I know and you would be lucky to have her in your life."

Shiva slowly lifted his head and stared at Kama. His face was so read and I instinctively backed up against the wall, terrified of the anger in his eyes.  With a loud clash, the framed picture fell to the grown, shattering into tiny pieces and Shiva's hand slapped Kama across the face with a fierceness I had never heard before.  Kama screamed out in pain and tears filled his eyes.  I jumped and Rati screamed out and ran towards Kama, blowing our cover.  Shiva and I met eyes.  I quickly looked away before I let my emotions expose me and went to escort Rati and Kama out of the house.  

I watched from the door as my friends rushed back to the village, and I knew deep down I would never see them here again.

After that moment, everything I had felt for Shiva changed.  Deep down, this action made me love him more.  I knew that he was still grieving and Kama had pushed him too far.  But I also knew that I could never share this love.  My looks, my cooking, my cleaning, none of it would make him love me.  If he were to ever love me, time was the only thing that would make it happen. So after that day, I decided to stop trying.  I was here to help Shiva, not to win his love, so I was going to purely serve him out of devotion with no alternate motives.

I rid myself of every worldly beauty.  I put my jewelry away, I wore simple clothes, I skipped meals to solely work on moving him out of his house.  I made no intention to be in the same room with him and I NEVER met eyes with him again.  I lived my life as a slave to him, trying to be invisible for his heart to heal without distraction.

I did this for years.  We moved into the new cabin and I remained to do the cooking and the cleaning. I slept and bathed outside and I stayed completely out of sight.  I began to enjoy the lifestyle.  I never grew bored, I always had something to do, and my actions were beneficial to the one I had grown to love.  I accepted the fact that he would never love me, but my purpose of life had changed.  My purpose was to serve, not to be loved.

(The small cabin Shiva moved into)

One day, several years into the new life at the cabin, I was working on the garden in the back yard.  I heard someone come up to me and stop behind me.  I only had an hour left of sunlight in the day and I needed to finish the garden so I did not look up to see who it was.  Then the person spoke.

"How can you work like this for no appreciation?"

I did not recognize the voice so I assumed it was a hiker passing by.  I replied, "It is work I enjoy, I do not need appreciation."

"I pass by often and see you working from the time the sun comes up until it sets in the west.  You are always alone.  The man you work for must be a bitter, evil man to treat you so poorly."

At this I grew angry.  How dare this stranger speak of Shiva in such a way.  Shiva was the most devoted man I had ever known and this stranger's ignorance made my blood boil.  I spurted, "You know nothing about the man who lives here.  How dare you say such things.  He is the purest man I know and if you cannot see that then you are not pure yourself."  I spun around and yelled, "Now leave!!"

Then I stopped.  My shovel clattered to the ground.  The man standing behind me was Shiva himself.

He chuckled to himself at my anger.  He bent down and reached for my hand to help me to my feet.
"Sweet, devoted Parvati.  I cannot believe I have treated you so poorly.  My mind was lost after Sati, but watching you day in and day out, devote your life to me with no interest of your own, has revived me.  You have brought me back from the darkness.  I love you, sweet Parvati, and I am forever indebted to you."

And that, dear friends, is how our love began.  Shiva has devoted his life to me just as I devoted mine to him.  We live as equals and we live in constant love for one another.  We have arguments and we have faults, but our commitment to one another conquers all and that is what I hope for you.

Devotedly yours,
Parvati

Author's Note:
I loved writing this story! This is a continuation of the story of Parvati and Shiva but it is when Shiva finally falls in love with her.  In the real story, Shiva disguises himself as a hermit to trick Parvati into saying something bad about Shiva.  Parvati gets angry at the hermit and still refuses to say one bad thing about Shiva.  Then he reveals his true self to her and tells her he is in love.  I thought, since Parvati has never heard Shiva's voice, she wouldn't recognize it was him if her back was turned to him.  That was how I made it into a more present day story without the mysticism of changing forms and living lives as hermits.

Bibliography:
Shiva Parvati: A Story of Divine Love, Amar Chitra Katha, Reading Guide.

Image information:

Fall Country Cabin found on Flickr.com

Reading Notes: Shiva's Secret Part 1

• Kali- primal goddess
• dances on Shiva- Shiva does not care for the world and he is indifferent toward Kali
• Kali wants Shiva to open eyes 
• they are opposites
• Shiva needs to populate with Kali so she forces him to "create life within her"
• Two images show angry Kali and content Kali
• God takes inferior position to Goddess 

(Kali dancing on Shiva, trying to get his attention.  Found on Wikipedia.)

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art, Devdutt Pattanaik, Shiva's Secret Part 1

Reading Notes: Shiva's Secret Part 2

Looking at Shiva's side of the love story between him and Parvati.  It is the same story but told in a different way and with a different perspective.  There is an added element that was not in the stories I read last week.

• Parvati induced shiva to become belovolant
• Groom: was a hermit and didn't know how to behave or dress
• drunk
• covered in ash
• came with ghosts and goblins
• scared the people of Parvati's village
• Parvati asked him to accept worldly ways so he did and became a beautiful groom
• Shiva did not discriminate between the beautiful and the ugly but didn't fit in with the social set up: there is judgement and Shiva didn't have any
• His eyes were opened because of Parvati

(the religious poster that is explained through the video I watched this week.  Found on Wikipedia Commons.)

Bibliography:

Seven Secrets from Hindu Calendar Art, Devdutt Pattanaik, Shiva's Secret Part 2

Story: Parvati and Shiva: The Beginning

So you want to know more about my love life? You want to know what makes me qualified to give advice to others? You want to know why I am the goddess of devotion? Well, the answer isn’t so simple. I have been married to my love since the beginning of time. And I will be married to him until the end of time. Our love is continuous. Death has not separated us. The gods have always returned us to one another. I have gone by many names and lived many lifetimes, so in order to answer your many questions, I must choose one name and one lifetime. I will tell you the story of Shiva and our love during my current lifetime as Parvati. Today, I will share how we were ticked into meeting even though neither of us ever intended to know one another.

My story began one afternoon when I heard my parents talking about Shiva. Shiva was the town’s most eligible bachelor, but you see, he was still grieving the death of his first wife. In all honestly, I felt sorry for him. Everyone was pushing him to get over her but it was all pure selfishness. All the fathers and mothers in my little village wanted him to marry their daughters. I didn’t understand why they couldn’t just let him be and go through the grieving process without the stress of women fawning over him. I was thankful my parents didn’t embarrass me like the other parents in the village.

Poor Rati, my best friend, her parents were probably the worst in the village when it came to insisting she and Shiva marry. Rati wasn’t even attracted to Shiva. She had her eyes set on Kama, a boy we went to school with. I felt sorry for her too. We both knew that if her parents ever found out she had her eyes set on someone else, it would destroy them. We would always joke about how we hoped Shiva would marry soon just so her parents would stop trying to set them up. I was thankful that the two of us could speak candidly about our indifference to Shiva. Well, if I had to be honest, I wasn’t indifferent. I found him to be the most attractive man I had ever laid eyes on. His devotion to his wife was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I respected him too much to do anything more than admire from a far.

Anyway, now you know why it was such a big deal when I overheard my parent’s talking about Shiva. I had never heard them utter his name before so when I heard their hushed tones in our kitchen that one night, dread and hope filled my chest simultaneously.

I went to sleep pretending I heard nothing but my false ignorance was fleeting. The next morning I awoke to my parents coming into my room. My mother pulled up a chair and my father stood behind her with his hands lovingly resting on her shoulders.

My mother spoke smoothly, “Parvati dear, we have something very important to talk to you about. Shiva’s friend Nandi approached your father and me yesterday. He is very worried about Shiva’s health and his time in the village has been too stressful for his grieving. Shiva is moving to a cabin in the mountains beyond the next town, but Nandi is worried he cannot help move and take care of Shiva alone. He has noticed that we are the only family in the village to let him mourn in peace and he has asked us to let you go with them to help them move. I know it is a strange request, but Nandi has grown up here, you remember playing with him in daycare when you all were younger, yes? And he is so very worried for his friend Shiva. So we discussed and we think it would be good for you to go.”

I was shocked. Deep down, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t explain my excitement. I never imagined what it would feel like to be in Shiva’s presence. I never opened my mind up to that opportunity. But now that it was here, I never wanted anything more. I felt this urge deep down like I was born to do this. I suppressed my emotions and smoothly replied, “ Yes mother. Yes father. I will do this for Shiva and Nandi. Don’t worry, I will be okay and I will serve him devotedly in his grief. For I know that is something the other women in this town do not know how to do. I will honor you both and prove our family worthy of this compliment Nandi has paid to us. Such trust in our intentions shall not be broken.”

My parents smiled warmly and my father bent down to kiss me on the forehead. It seemed like they still had more to tell me but they were hesitant to say more. I tried to ignore the unsettling feeling I got from them and I got out of bed and began to pack.

I didn’t know at the time what they were keeping from me, but soon I would find out that there were very different intentions involved in this move. Nandi wanted me to marry Shiva. Apparently, Shiva had asked about me and because I was the only name that had passed through his lips since Sati died, Nandi was sure I would be the one to bring him back his joy. My parents knew that if I suspected any sort of marriage proposal, I would have refused out of fear of being just like the other girls in the village. They were right. Had they told me the truth, I would have refused and the beautiful life I share with my dear husband Shiva would have been unknown to me. Who knows where I would be? Oh, I don’t even want to imagine it. A life without my love sounds more like death.

(Shiva mourning his wife's death.  His devotion inspired my own.)

__________________________________________

Author's Note:

One person commented on my storybook that they would love to know more about Parvati, the goddess behind my storybook site.  So this week I decided to read her love stories in order to create and "About Me" tab on her counseling website.  Parvati is the goddess of many things, but I specifically expanded on her title "Goddess of Devotion."  In her love story with Shiva, she remained incredibly devoted to the man she loved even when he showed no signs of love for her.  She was criticized for being so devoted but remained loyal and proved herself in the end.  She had all the beauty in the world and had money to go with that beauty.  She had beautiful clothes and a wealthy lifestyle, but she threw it all away to live as a hermit to prove herself worthy of Shiva.  Her beauty did not attract him, for there were many beautiful women, but her raw devotion was something not all women possessed and therefore made him fall in love with her.  

Another interesting aspect of their story is that Shiva is grieving the loss of his wife, Sati.  That is why he has turned a blind eye to women and why it took him so long to accept Parvati.  The ironic thing about this story is that Parvati is in fact Sati reincarnate.  The beauty behind this irony is that the love between Shiva and Sati/Parvati was so strong that not even death and remarriage could end their love.       

Finally, their love story is so deep that it was impossible to capture it all in one post.  I hope to create one more post to wrap up their story.

Bibliography:

Shiva Parvati: A Story of Divine Love, Amar Chitra Katha, Reading Guide.

Photo Information: 

Found on Pixabay.