Savitri's One True Love

There once lived a beautiful princess named Savitri, and the time had come for this princess to get married. Many princes from huge kingdoms and small kingdoms came to see her and take her hand in marriage but she refused all of them.  Savitri thought "All of them are so stuck up! And none of them have ever earned anything in their life." One day she had had enough of waiting for the perfect prince to walk in to her palace, so she decided to take things into her hands. She decided to leave the palace and find a man, any man who was self-made and respectable.

On her journey to find her perfect husband she saw a lot of men, but none fit her criteria until she ran into this one simple man in the forest. This man had grown up by himself and had built a living all by himself and everyone in the village loved him because he was really nice and caring. At first sight she couldn’t help but fall for him, even though the village seemed to avoid him. The entire village thought that this man was cursed and was a bad omen because of his shortened life from an astrologer's reading, and so they all treated him like he did not exist. She approached him without caring what others thought, believing in what she saw, and asked to marry him but the man refused. She asked why and the man told her that he only had a year to live. Savitri’s face dropped but she didn’t give up. She told him she would like to spend every last day with him and cherish it for the rest of her life. The man was shocked, thinking no girl would ever fall for him because no one in the village paid any attention to him, and he said yes in excitement.

The moment had finally come and it was time for her husband to go with the God of Death, Yama. Savitri with a heavy heart tried to convince Yama with all her might to let him stay. She even offered herself instead. But Yama said no. She had nothing left to do but follow her husband with Yama, so she asked Yama if she could move on to the next life with her husband. Yama was confused to why anyone would want to walk to her own death and asked why. She responded telling Yama about how it was hard to find such a good husband and when she did she loved him more than she loved herself. Yama was pleased to see that true love like this still existed, and to also find that their relationship was so strong. Yama decided to offer Savitri a gift. Savitri’s eyes grew out of excitement and she asked for her husband’s life. Yama could not just give up a life that easily, so he gave her a deal. The deal was that she split her days on earth in half and give them to her husband. Savitri without any hesitation accepted this deal and lived a full life’s happiness in half the time.

Savitri begging for her husband's life.

Author’s Note:

I chose to retell the story that Krishna and Vyasa told Draupadi and the Pandav brothers when they went to visit them in the forest. I was inspired to write this particular story because I was impressed to read about such a love story. I do not see that kind of dedication to their significant other. I see it in my parents and my family, but outside of that I do not see it. The story was not a complete copy of the original story. Some things were taken out so I could fit in the four hundred word limit. In the original story the man she met was actually a prince. He was the son of an old blind king. Also when Yama gave Savitri this deal, Savitri somehow managed to get a couple of other wishes in before she got her husband back. Her first wish was to cure the king’s blindness, the second was to restore the king’s kingdom, and the third was for her father to have a hundred sons. And then Yama finally gave up and offered the deal mentioned in my story. This story was important to Mahabharata because it was told to show how Savitri and Draupadi are alike in their devotion to their husbands.

• Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata.  

Week 14, Storytelling: Duryodhana's End

Duryodhana realized on the battlefield that he had lost and now was scared for his life. He had nowhere to run except into the forest and hide there until things blew over and everyone was over the war. Duryodhana runs as fast as he could into the woods making sure that no one would see him. In the middle of the forest there was a lake. He decides to jump in to the bottom and use his power to create an illusion of a solid lake so that if someone did find him they would not try and get to him.

Meanwhile on the battlefield, Arjun is looking for Duryodhana as he was the last one to be taken care off. The rest of the generals and relatives of Duryodhana had fallen in war bravely. Krishna, Arjun’s charioteer, then tells Arjun that Duryodhana has hid in the lake in the middle of the forest. Hearing this the Pandavs make their way into the forest along with their army. Once they get to the lake that Duryodhana was hiding under, they all wonder who will take the honors to finish him off. Yudishthira then orders Bhīma to take the first try.

Bhima steps on to the lake and using his mighty strength breaks the illusion of the solid lake. He then fishes his arm into the lake and pulls out Duryodhana who is now trembling with fear. Bhima and Duryodhana fight for a while till the others get impatient and yell out to just finish him. And as Bhima had promised earlier, he smashes Duryodhana’s thighs. Duryodhana lay there on the shore of the lake all beaten up and unable to move. The army looked at each other and were cheering with happiness thinking that the war was now over.

Krishna stepped off the chariot which fell apart instantly because it had been broken a few days into the war. Krishna had managed to hold the chariot together in the battle with his powers of illusion. Krishna explained that although the major part of the war was over there were still a few more strikes left to take care off. And so the Pandavs decide to set up camp, and instead of camping up in a tent they decide to camp outside and keep guard along with Krishna. As they patiently waited for the next move the sun went down and the sky turned dark.

The Solid Lake

• Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata.  

Author's Note:
I decided to retell where they find Duryodhana and Bhima smashes his thighs as he had promised. i did not retell it exactly, I retold it in my owns words. I retold it by the images I imagined it as using whatever I could remember about it and filling in the gaps as I went. 

Week 14, Reading Diary B: The End

Yudishthira has post-traumatic stress and is sad thinking that people died because of him. He dreams about his wife and brothers on a journey and they all die. He is offered to go heaven but he has to abandon the dog which he doesn’t. Yudishthira goes back and tells everyone that the war is over. Uttara gives birth to a dead son. Yudishthira throws a festival with food and stuff for everyone. He meets a mongoose with half gold coat, he wants full golden coat. Yudishthira listens to the mongoose and gives him gifts and things too. Dhritarashtra decides to go meditate in the forest. Arjun’s weapons are burned in Indraprastha by Agni. 

Week 14, Reading Diary A: Duryodhana Dies

Duryodhana is hiding in the lake with illusion of it being solid. Yudishthira decides to make one of his brothers fight Duryodhana. Bhīma goes to fight him and as he promised he crushed his thighs. Everyone goes to see him dying. Arjun’s chariot breaks down soon as he steps off of it, because it was broken before but Krishna held it together with the power of illusion. Ashwatthaman goes to raid the Pandav camp but he doesn’t know that Pandavs are outside that night. Shiv is also guarding but Ashwatthaman gives himself up to Shiv so he got into the camp. Only a few survived. Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata for future people.

Week 13: OU Email Tech Tip

For this weeks tech tip I chose to make a folder for all the emails I get for this class. I right clicked on the Inbox and created a new file and then moved all the emails from this class to that folder. I usually do not keep my email organized as I check my email as they come through my phone.

Week 13, Storytelling: The Lake

One in the forest the Pandav brothers were setting up camp and trying to decide on how to spend their last year of exile. Draupadi, the wife of all five of these brothers, got thirsty and wanted something to quench her thirst. So Yudishthira, the oldest one of the five brothers, decided to send the youngest brother with a bucket to get some water. The water was at a nearby lake about a few hundred feet away. This lake was a very quiet and clean lake, not one sign of a living animal was around the lake. The youngest brother approached the lake and started to dip the bucket in the water when the wind started blowing hard and the water became still. He stood there looking around when he heard a voice. The voice belonged to Yama, the God of Death. The god of death said to the youngest brother that if he answers his questions correctly then he is free to get the water. The brother paid no heed and continued to fill water. This made Yama mad so he took his life. Back at the camp Yudishthira started to wonder where the youngest brother was, so he sent his twin brother after him to see if he was safe. The twin brother saw him lay dead at the shore, and decided to quickly fill the bucket and leave. Yama again came and tried asking a question and the twin brother out of fear did not listen. The twin brother’s life was also taken. Yudishthira now worried for sure, sent the strong brother Bhima in. Bhima saw his two brothers lay dead on the camp and decided to take revenge on whoever it was that killed his brothers. But Bhima had no chance again Yama and he also died. Three brothers down and Arjun decided to go check up on what they were up to. Arjun was smarter than the other three and paid heed. But sadly, Arjun did not know the answer to the question. It had been a while and none of the brother returned so now finally Yudishthira goes to the lake. Yama is also Yudishthira’s divine father. Yudishthira was asked the question and he answered after thinking a while. He was correct. Yama as a reward revived all his brothers and also gave them a boon. This boon gave them the choice to be disguised as anything they want for their last year of exile. This solved their problem of what to do for their last year.

 Author’s Note:

I decided to retell the lake story where the brothers go fill water. I did not retell it exactly how it was in the Mahabharat, I made a few changes to it. I also did not specify which question was asked because I could not think of a good question to be asked. 

The Lake

Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata

Week 13, Reading Diary B: The Battle

Vyasa goes to Hastinapur to warn Dhritarashtra of the bad omens but the king says he has no control over his sons. Amba was rejected by Bhisma, and her lover. She goes into the forest where she makes a bow and arrow and Shiva gives her a cloth to tie around the arrow and when she shoots it she dies. Drupada has a daughter to trades genders with Sthuna, who is then cursed. Yudhishthira bows down and asks if anyone comes to join his sides then they are welcome. Bhishma is really good on the battle field until he was pierced with a bunch of arrows. He chooses to pass away on winter solstice. Arjuna kills Jayadratha and throws his head onto his father’s laps. Drona is killed when he is devastated after hearing his son is dead. Karna’s chariot gets stuck in the ground and Arjuna kills Karna. Pandavs go to the lake to confront Duryodhana.

Week 13, Reading Diary A: Pandavs Progressing

Yudishthira tells his brothers to go get water from the lake where Yama takes their life because they did not answer his questions. But Yudishthira answered so they were revived. The Pandav brothers go to King Virata’s court to spend their last year of exile in disguise. Indra comes to ask for Karna’s armor and earrings which Karna gives in return for a throwing dart. Kichaka assaults Draupadi, who runs to the king for proection. She sends Bhima one night who beats Kichaka up. Arjuna uses a weapon to make all the Kauravs go sleep and when they wake up they see Arjun had won. Krishna offers Arjun to be an ally or give his army and he picks Krishna as an ally. Krishna tries to make peace.

Week 12, Storytelling: Savitri and her Husband

There once lived a beautiful princess named Savitri, and time had come for this princess to get married. Many princes from huge kingdoms and small kingdoms came to see her and take her hand in marriage but she refused all of them.  She thought all of them to be stuck up and had never earned anything of their in their life. One day she had had enough of waiting for the perfect prince to walk in to her palace so she decided to take things into her hands. She decided to leave the palace and find a man, any man who was self-made and respectable.

On her journey to find her perfect husband she saw a lot of men, but none fit her criteria until she ran into this one simple man in the forest. This man had grown up by himself and had built a living all by himself and everyone in the village loved him because he was really nice and caring. At first sight she couldn’t help but fall for him. She approached him and asked to marry him but the man refused. She asked why and the man told her that he only had a year to live. Savitri’s face dropped but she didn’t give up, she told him she would like to spend every last day with him and cherish it for the rest of her life. The man shocked, thinking no girl would ever fall for him, agreed in excitement.

Time had finally come and it was time for her husband to go with the God of Death, Yama. Savitri with a heavy heart tried to convince Yama with all her might to let him stay she even offered herself instead. But Yama said no. She had nothing left to do but follow her husband with Yama, so she asked Yama if she could follow him. Yama confused to why anyone would want to walk to her own death asked why. She responded telling Yama about how it was hard to find such a good husband and when she did she loved him more then she loved herself. Yama was pleased to find that their relationship was so strong and offered Savitri a gift. Savitri’s eyes grew out of excitement and asked for her husband’s life. Yama could not just give up a life that easily so he gave her a deal. The deal was the she split her days on earth in half and give them to her husband. Savitri accepted this deal.

Author’s Note:

I chose to retell the story that Rama and Vyasa told Draupadi and the Pandav brothers. The story was not a complete copy of the original story, some things were taken out so I could fit in the four hundred word limit.

• Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata.  

Yama, God of Death

Week 12, Reading Diary B: Pandavs and Other Things

Urvashi curses Arjun to be a eunuch for a year, which will be the thirteenth year of Arjun’s exile. Mankanaka cannot stop dancing, if he continues to dance then the earth may be destroyed so Shiv goes to stop him. Once he realizes a god has come he stops dancing. Rishyashringa was a child of Vibhandaka. Vibhandaka saw Urvashi showering and he got excited and came in the lake where a deer drunk the sperm and got pregnant. The kid married a rakshasa and lived with her in the palace. Pandavs leave the forest and go to mount Kaliasa where Draupadi wants a white lotus. Bhima finally gets it for her after dealing with Hanuman. Gandharvas attack Duryodhana and lock him up, but with Arjun’s request he is set free. Krishna and Vyasa go visit the brothers where they tell them the love story of Savitri and how he gave up half her days on earth to give to her husband.

Week 12, Reading Diary A: Nala and Damyanti

Yudishthira goes to gamble with Duryodhana where he loses everything. Krishna comes to Draupadi’s aid. The Pandavs go to exile with their wife. Krishna comes meets them in the forest and then Arjun goes into the mountains where he sees an old man drinking from a clay cup. The old man is his father. Vyasa comes to the forest and tells the story about King Nala and how he got Damyanti. Damyanti chose Nala from the other gods who were disguised as him. Evil Kali also wanted Damyanti but did not get her so he swore to ruin their happiness. Nala ad to leave with Damyanti because of gambling with dice. Damyanti awoke and looked for Nala instead of going home to her dad. Indra arranged to help Nala.  Damyanti and Nala are reunited.

Week 11, Portfolio: Pandavs Escaping

There once were two sets of brothers who lived in the same kingdom. They were called the Kauravs and the Pandavs. There were only five Pandav brothers but combined they were stronger and smarter than the Kauravs brothers. The Pandavs were loved by their people and were very popular, and the people wanted the Pandavs to take the throne after King Dhritarashtra died. King Dhritarashtra was the father of the Kauravs and the uncle of the Pandavs. The Kauravs hated this fact and would do everything they could do to make the Pandavs look bad. They would even go to the extent of killing them which would permanently solve their problem.

One day the oldest Kaurav, Duryodhana, decided to take care off their problem and made a plan to kill the Pandavs. Duryodhana called for one of his trusted generals and told him to go set up the local resort to be burned down, so he could trick the Pandav brothers to go there for their enjoyment. And while they were in there he could trap them and burn the house down. As told, the general went and poured oil outside and inside the resort and also put out dry stacks of hay so the place would burn down faster. When the general returned, he went to Duryodhana and told him exactly what he had done. While the general and Duryodhana were talking, Bhima, the strong Pandav brother, overheard their conversation.

The Pandav brother hurried back to his other brothers and told them everything he had heard. The oldest brother Yudishthira along with Arjun came up with a plan to make an escape route underneath the resort so no one would suspect it. That night the brothers went to the resort while no one was there and dug a tunnel. The next morning when they returned all tired and worn out, Duryodhana could not help but take this opportunity, so he told the Pandavs that he had reserved the resort for them and they were welcome to go and relax there. The Pandavs looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and told Duryodhana that they would love to go.

The Pandavs cleaned up a little bit before they left. Before the brothers left, they told their mother of what was going to happen so she would not worry and they also ran through the plan one more time to avoid any confusion when the time came.

Duryodhana followed the brothers closely to the resort, hiding behind trees and bushes so they would not notice him. On their way to the resort the brothers heard some rustling and figured that it would be Duryodhana following to make sure his plan went through, so the brothers decided to act oblivious and kept walking. Duryodhana thought he was being slick and that the Pandavs did not notice that they were being followed.

 As soon as the Pandavs made it inside the house, Duryodhana ran to the doors and locked it from the outside. He set fire to the oil that was poured all around. Quickly the resort was engulfed in flames and the Pandavs ran to their secret exit. Arjun, Bhima and Yudisthira hustled through their makeshift tunnel while the twins Nakula and Sahadeva held the tunnel up and ran into the woods where they watched the resort burn down and took a last look at their home town before leaving forever.

Picture of a Resort

Author’s Note:

I decided to retell the story where the Pandavs make a quick escape. I was inspired to retell this story because I thought it was interesting how people can go such lengths for materialistic desires. People are willing to go against family and harm their families too just to get what they want, which kind of kills the concept of being family. In this story and Kauravs and Pandavs, I believe are cousin brothers. I didn’t make it an exact retelling. I changed up some things. I changed the overall setting of the story. In the original story the resort was actually a house which the Pandavs went to after they left. Also the Pandavs went to this house when the King told them to leave, not asked like in my version of the story. In the original story their mother Kunti was also sent to this house, and the six of them escaped from the house. Kunti was Yudishthira's mother and was also consider so by the other four brothers too, and I left her out because I didn't feel like adding her in the story since it would make it a longer story. Another thing that was different from the original story was how the brothers found out about Duryodhana’s plans. In the original version Vyasa forewarned the Pandavs of what was to come instead. 

Buck, William (1973). Mahabharata.