Mariah's Indian Epics Blog

I see these plants growing with positive feedback. Image Link I enjoyed reading What Kinds of Messages Help Kids Grow because I am in the process of applying to be an ESL teacher for elementary school kids. I don't have formal teaching skills yet so I try to soak in any information that may make me a little better. While the methods may not be some I could specifically use in this course it's nice to know in general. The same ideas could definitely be applied in many situations. How to Give Feedback Without Sounding Like a Jerk was another interesting read. All of the points seemed reasonable, do-able, and understandable. Leveling the playing field and explaining why are the two things I'd like to actively work on when giving feedback. At work feedback generally comes in the form of 'this way is wrong you need to do it this way' and not so much 'this way is good but here are some ways to tweak it'. The presentation of feedback is really importa...

Peepal Tree, also known as the Bodhi Tree, at Mansa Devi Temple Image Link The Spirit That Lived in a Tree - Link The tree is unselfish and in the end the tree is rewarded for its unselfish acts by the king who originally thought only of himself. I think this is something that can be applied to humans' modern relationship with nature, although many people don't realize they are acting selfishly towards an unselfish environment. For my project I was thinking I could find more stories like these, maybe focusing on spirits and trees. Bhagiratha and Ganga - Link The hero in this story is the goddess Ganga who turns herself into a river. If not for her flowing waters, the souls would have never found peace. Another option for my project could be to use gods/goddess that represent parts of nature. Sacred Trees of the Hindus - Link This article talks about trees that are linked with important figures in Hinduism, even mentioning Rama living under banyan trees during ...

A puppy in the snow Image Link Story: The mountains were home to a small, friendly puppy. The puppy had many dear friends in the mountains that he played with all the time. There was the strong rabbit who could pull the puppy out of any situation. There was a horse that could always calm the puppy down when he became too rambunctious. One day the puppy was walking through the trees trying to find something to play with since his friends were busy. He came across a tree that had one last leaf left at the very top. The puppy decided that he really needed that leaf and tried to climb the tree. He found that he could not get up the tree far enough to reach the leaf, but he kept trying. After one particularly ambitious leap the puppy fell harshly on the ground. He cried out in pain, hoping one of his friends would hear him and come help. At last the strong bunny and calm horse found the puppy but they could not do anything to help him. Then th...

The God Brahma Image Link Notes : Bharata returned from a trip to find his father dead and brother banished. Kaikeyi tries to tell her son all the great things she has done for him but he is very angry with her. Bharata tries to get Rama to return but Rama believes he must follow through on what his father told him. Rama won't leave the jungle and now Bharata won't return home either. Rama's sandals are used as an object placeholder for Rama on the throne. Sita impresses an ancient priestess. Viradha steals away Sita. It is interesting how mad Rama gets because he usually is very calm and boring. Rama and Lakshmana put Viradha in a hole where Viradha says that Rama has broken his curse and he goes up into the heavens. Agastya tells Rama to take special care of Sita. Shurpanakha, Ravana's sister, decides she is in love with Rama. (It doesn't make a lot of sense to me that Lakshmana should be with Shurpanakha if he is also already married. Just because h...

A painting of the goddess Ganga Image Link Notes: A horse sacrifice is made in order to have an heir that is a son. Vishnu breaks himself into 4 parts to become the four sons of Dasharatha. (Ravana bad- Rama good) Rama and his brother go out to help protect sacrifices from Ravana supporting trouble makers. The brothers were successful and the sages gave them gifts. Ganga was a goddess who came down to earth in the form of the Ganges River to bring the ashes of 60,000 men to heaven. (Story) Guatam curses his wife, Rama breaks the curse, then Guatam gets back with his wife. Would be interesting to know more about how Rama is involved in this. (Story) Rama and Sita meet and Rama wins her after bending Shivas bow. Parashurama did not believe someone like Rama could exist and gave him another bow to bend. Rama was again successful. Rama is to become king but Manthara does not like Rama and begins to cause trouble. Kaikeyi listens to Manthara and works to banish Rama. The kin...