Storytelling Week 6: Riddles of the Lake

Arjuna, Bhima, and Yudhishthira waited impatiently for their brothers to return from the pond. The three brothers were in a bad mood because they could not find the deer they were hunting, they had no water to quench there thirst from the day’s work, and there two brothers Sahadeva and Nakula were taking a long time to return from gathering the water.

“That’s ITTTTT. I am tired of waiting for these two. If you want to get something done, you must do it yourself,” as he grabbed his bow and stormed off towards the pond.

Arjuna made his way through the dense forest and finally came to the pond. Before he drank the water, he noticed his two brothers Sahadeva and Nakula lying motionless beside the water. He went over to check their pulses, and noticed they were dead.

“WHOEVER DID THIS WILL PAY,” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

He then heard a mysterious voice. “If you can answer my riddles I will allow you to drink from the pond safely and revive your two brothers I have poisoned them because they did not wait for my permission.” Arjuna went along with the proposition. The mysterious voice gave Arjuna riddle after riddle.

Arjuna already tired from the long day grew very irritated until he lashed out against the mysterious voice. “I am tired of your silly games. I have played enough, and have proved myself mentally. Come out here and fight like a real warrior. I will defeat you and free my brothers,” he said.

“You think just because you can solve my riddles that you can beat my physical challenge? As you wish young Arjuna,” the mysterious voice cackled.

Then there was a long silence and Arjuna thought that the mysterious voice had given up. Then all of a sudden the pond started over flowing. Before Arjuna knew it, the pond had engulfed him. He tried to swim away but the pond kept growing in size until all he could see was water surrounding him.

Then 50 feet in the distance Arjuna saw air bubbles in the water. A huge serpent-like monster arose from the water and let out a mighty roar. It then began to chase Arjuna. He swam frantically swam away realizing his imminent doom. As all hope was lost, he remembered his wife Ulupi. Ulupi had given him the power to turn invisible in water.

The serpent was closing in on Arjuna. Just as he was going to take Arjuna for a tasty snack, Arjuna vanished under water. The serpent was confused for a moment but quickly caught on to Arjuna’s scheme and began looking for air bubbles.

Arjuna held his breath. He needed a way to get close to the sea serpent without being spotted. He could not surface because the waves would give his position up as they hit him. He was running out of time but then remembered he still had his bow with him. He could not get a clear shot underwater but he could create a distraction. He fired a barrage of arrows in every direction to create a lot of bubbles. The serpent did not know where to attack.

While the serpent was confused Arjuna closed in and grabbed it from behind it neck. The serpent started squirming and thrashing in every direction but it could not shake Arjuna off. Arjuna squeezed his legs around the serpent’s neck and drew his bow with his to free arms. He pulled the string and sent one arrow straight into the back of the serpent’s head. The serpent sank into the water. The water then returned to normal size.

The mysterious voice then revealed himself as the a God who went by Yama. He congratulated Arjuna on his accomplishments and as promised revived his two brothers. He then told Arjuna that he and his family were free to drink from the pond whenever they wanted to. The voice then said its goodbyes. As he left, Bhima, and Yudhishthira came to the pond.

“What took you guys so long?,” they said. Arjuna, Sahadeva and Nakula just shrugged their shoulders and began to drink the hard-earned water.

The God Yama

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Author’s Note: I wanted to rewrite the story from the Mahabharata called “Riddles of the Lake.” In the original story all of the brothers except Yudhishthira die from drinking the water. Yudhishthira, the last brother, comes across the pond and is the only one of the brothers who answers all of the riddles correctly. He receives two boons for his accomplishment. He used one of the boons to revive his brothers.  Arjuna is one of my favorite characters in the Mahabharata. I wanted him to have a combat role within this story. I created a plot where he is forced to fight the serpent to save his brothers. I hope you enjoy the story.

Bibliography: Mahabharata, Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore, 2009.

Reading Diary A: Public Domain Mahabharata

Riddles of The Lake:

I really liked this story. It was cool to see how riddles got incorporated into this story but it amazed me how easily Yudhishthira answered all of the riddles. I think this is the story I will be rewriting for the week. I remember when Arjuna received a boone from his wife Ulupi to become invisible in water. I think it would be interesting if Arjuna challenged the power of Dharma and he sent a bunch of animals that lived in the water to fight him.

Krishna’s Army:

In this story it is interesting to see Krishna evenly split his resources between Duryodhana and Arjuna. I did not think he would like to take a part in this war. It would be cool to see him actually fight in the war.

Armies at Kurukshetra:

In this story both armies are about to fight each other. Before the battle starts Yudhishthira acknowledges all of his old friends and teachers. One of the main themes in each of these epics is to have respect for family and friends. Even though they are on opposite sides they still wish the best for each other. It is weird to me that before the battle a group of fighters switches sides. I think it would be unwise to take on fighters from the other side because they could sabotage you army.

Here is a picture of the two armies as they are about to fight.

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Thoughts about Comments

Commenting is an essential part of this class. I enjoy reading the comments of my peers and instructor because they help me engage with them and improve my work. Even though giving criticism to someone’s work may seem mean, it is the most helpful tool for someone to get better at what they are doing. These types of comments have been the most helpful to me in improving my writing. The main problems with my writing are that sometimes I am not specific enough and I make a lot of grammar mistakes. I think I am doing a good job on commenting on other posts but will try to get better. 

Storytelling Week 5: Hidimba and Hidimbi

Bhima, his brothers, and his mother had just escaped the fire set by King Dhritarasthra, Purochana and the scheming Prince Duryodhana. They now had to roam the wilderness in exile. The family was tired, and hungry as they made their way through the winter forest. All of a sudden Bhima spotted a wild boar. He chased the boar and wrestled it down with his strong arms. The boar squealed as he delivered the final blow. He did not like taking the life of an innocent animal, but he had to provide for his family. He looked up to the sky and gave a silent prayer to thank God for the food. He and his family then found a nice place to settle down for the night. They started a fire and feasted. After dinner, they all went to sleep while Bhima kept watch.

During this time two rakshashas named Hidimba and Hidimbi were travelling through the forest. Hidimba was a strong rakshasha male armed with a bow and ax. Hidimbi was his beautiful shape-shifting sister. They have not eaten in 3 weeks because most of the food sources are hard to find and access in the wintertime. Their noses picked up on the lingering scent of cooked boar that Bhima and his family had for dinner. They followed the scent with excitement and finally spotted the family through the trees. Hidimba was ready to rush into battle to claim the family as food, but Hidimbi said that she had a better idea. She knew Bhima was strong and she had to devise a plan to win this battle.

Hidimbi approached Bhima the next morning. She shape shifted into the most beautiful woman the whole world has ever seen. Bhima was attracted to the rakshasha woman but knew his main job was to ensure the safety of his family. After some discussion with his mother and him she slowly started to make progress with Bhima. During this time, Hidimba rushed on to the scene. He acted like he was angry at his sister for betraying him and attacked Bhima.

The two fought a fierce battle as the family and Hidimbi watched. As they were fighting, Hidimbi quickly pulled Bhima’s mother towards her and held her hostage with a dagger. The other brothers were not targets because their mother was the most vulnerable target out of the family and precious to the family. Armed with no weapon the brothers could not do anything to save their mother. Bhima looked over to all of the commotion and realized that Hidimbi had tricked him. As he was observing the situation, Hidimba shot an arrow at his arm and punched him to the ground. Bhima and his brothers all watched in helplessness because they knew they were going to lose their mother. Hidimba let out a menacing laugh and made way toward his sister. In one quick movement, the bloodied warrior Bhima grabbed Hidimba’s bow and shot an arrow straight through Hidimbi’s head. During this moment, Hidimba quickly stabbed Bhima straight through his stomach. Bhima fell to the ground in pain.

The brothers rushed the weakened Hidimba in anger. They secured a quick victory and they made way to their mother who was sulking next to the failed warrior Bhima. They all prayed for hours trying to obtain assistance from the Gods. Finally they came down.

“Due to the virtues of bravery, selflessness, and respect for his mother we grant the great warrior Bhima another chance,” the Gods stated. They then quickly vanished. Bhima’s wounds disappeared and the next morning he woke up. His family thanked him for his valiant efforts.

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Bhima fights with Hidimba.

Author’s Note: In the original stories called Bhima and Hidimba and Hidimbi the plot is different. Hidimbi is sent to attack the family and accidentally falls in love with Bhima. Her brother Hidimba approaches the scene and is angered by the fact that she has betrayed him. He then attacks the family and ends up getting killed by Bhima. Bhima and Hidimbi later get married and have a child. I was surprised on how quickly Hidimbi and Hidimba’s bond was severed. I changed the story so that they were still on the same side. I also incorporated themes such as respecting your parents that I have seen throughout every reading in this class.

Bibliography: Mahabharata, Arnold, Besant, Devee, Dutt, Ganguli, Kincaid, Macfie, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Seeger, and Tagore, 2009.