DOCSLIB.ORG

Glories of Sri Nara-Narayana Rishi - Part 1

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Glories of Sri Nara-Narayana Rishi - Part 1 Glories of Sri Nara-Narayana Rishi - Part 1 Date: 2015-03-08 Author: Vaijayantimala devi dasi Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev! In the eleventh canto, fourth chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam, Sage Drumila explains the incarnations of Godhead and he describes Nara-Narayana Rishi who is perfectly peaceful and is the best of sages, born as the son of Dharma and his wife Murti, the daughter of Daksha. Nara-Narayana rishi taught the devotional service of the Lord, by which material work ceases, and He Himself perfectly practiced this knowledge. He is living even today, His lotus feet served by the greatest of saintly persons. King Indra became fearful, thinking that Nara-Narayana Rishi would become very powerful by His severe penances and seize Indra's heavenly kingdom. Thus Indra, not knowing the transcendental glories of the incarnation of the Lord, sent Cupid and his associates to the Lord's residence in Badarikashrama. As the charming breezes of spring created a most sensuous atmosphere, Cupid himself attacked the Lord with arrows in the form of the irresistible glances of beautiful women. We learn a few things from this pastime. 1. The world is a mirror of our consciousness: Here we see that King Indra, not understanding the glories of the Lord, who has got the supreme opulence of renunciation, was placing the Personality of Godhead on the same level as he himself, considering the Lord an ordinary enjoyer who would be attracted by mundane sex life. It is very nicely mentioned in the purport to SB 11.4.7, "Indra's plot to cause the fall down of Nara-Narayana rishi could not affect the Lord, but it reveals the shortsightedness of Indra himself. Because Indra is attached to his heavenly kingdom, he took it for granted that the Supreme Lord was performing austerities to acquire such flickering phantasmagoria as the kingdom of heaven." We also see that in the pastime of Shyamantaka jewel, King Satrajit who was very much attached to the jewel, is seen spreading the rumor that Krishna has stolen away the jewel. He thought that in the same way that he is attracted to the jewel for the pounds of gold it is producing, Krishna must also be attracted the same way. He did not realise that Krishna is the master of all the opulences. So this makes us understand that we see the world through the glasses of our own consciousness. This makes us realize that if we go on seeing the faults of others and are never able to see their good, it actually means that we have all these faults in us and that is the reason we see the world that way. This shortsightedness can only be removed by intense devotional service and thorough study of the scriptures under the guidance of a bona- fide spiritual master, by which our whole vision and perspective of seeing things change. Krishna willing, we shall see more of this beautiful pastime, in the ensuing offering. Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev, Vaijayantimala devi dasi Abu Dhabi. Glories of Sri Nara-Narayana Rishi - Part 2 Date: 2015-03-09 Author: Vaijayantimala devi dasi Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev! This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Glories of Sri Narayana Rishi" wherein we were discussing the most beautiful pastime of Sri Nara-Narayana rishi from the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 11, Chapter 4. 2. Freedom from false pride: The way that Nara-Narayana rishi responded to the offence committed by Indra is awe inspiring. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.4.8 says, vijñāya śakra-kṛtam akramam ādi-devaḥ prāha prahasya gata-vismaya ejamānān mā bhair vibho madana māruta deva-vadhvo gṛhṇīta no balim aśūnyam imaṁ kurudhvam The primeval Lord, understanding the offense committed by Indra, did not become proud. Instead He spoke laughingly as follows to Cupid and his followers, who were trembling before Him: "Do not fear, O mighty Madana, O wind-god and wives of the demigods. Rather, please accept these gifts I am offering you and kindly sanctify My ashrama by your presence. It is mentioned in the purport that, "The word gata-vismaya or "free from false pride," is very significant. If one becomes proud by performing severe penances, such penances are considered material. One should not think, "I am a great, austere personality." The moment we start attending Krishna conscious programs, we develop the tendency to look upon others and brand them all as karmis. This attitude does not help us. Here we see that Lord who is austerity personified is so respectfully dealing with those sent by Indra. We have to understand that without the mercy of the spiritual master and the Lord, we cannot do any austerity and penance. So as Lord Brahma suggests we should become humble and should be constantly praying to the Lord to help us continue our devotional service. 3. Austerities should make us soft hearted and saintly in behaviour: Generally we find that those who are very austere, in their immature stages, become very hard hearted and tend to lose the gentleness in behaviour. We hear so many pastimes wherein many sages could not tolerate offensive behaviour towards them and they become angry and curse, thereby losing all the credit of their austerities. On the other hand here we can see the very wonderful and respectful behaviour of Sri Nara-narayana rishi, personification of all austerity, towards those who committed offences at His lotus feet. Sri Nara-Narayana could immediately understand the foolishness of Indra, and thus He was amused by the whole situation. Cupid and the heavenly women, understanding their great offense, were trembling before Nara- Narayana in fear of receiving a powerful curse. But the Lord, exhibiting most sublime saintly behavior, reassured them by saying, mā bhaiḥ. When Nara-Narayana rishi thus spoke, eradicating the fear of the demigods, they bowed their heads with shame and started glorifying the Lord for the Lord's compassion. While the demigods were thus praising the Supreme Lord, the all-powerful Lord suddenly manifested before their eyes many women, who were astonishingly gorgeous, decorated with fine clothes and ornaments, and all faithfully engaging in the Lord's service. The Supreme Lord of lords then smiled slightly and told the representatives of heavens, who were bowing down before Him, "Please choose one of these women, whomever you find suitable for you. She will become the ornament of the heavenly planets." Vibrating the sacred syllable Om, the servants of the demigods selected Urvashi, the best of the Apsaras. Placing her in front of them out of respect, they returned to the heavenly planets. Thus we are wonder-struck seeing that those who came to entice the Lord, were themselves presented with the most enticing Apsara and what better way the Lord could adopt to make them realize His position. Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev, Vaijayantimala devi dasi Abu Dhabi..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Epic Imagination in Contemporary Indian Literature
    University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School May 2017 Modern Mythologies: The picE Imagination in Contemporary Indian Literature Sucheta Kanjilal University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Kanjilal, Sucheta, "Modern Mythologies: The pE ic Imagination in Contemporary Indian Literature" (2017). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6875 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Modern Mythologies: The Epic Imagination in Contemporary Indian Literature by Sucheta Kanjilal A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a concentration in Literature Department of English College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Gurleen Grewal, Ph.D. Gil Ben-Herut, Ph.D. Hunt Hawkins, Ph.D. Quynh Nhu Le, Ph.D. Date of Approval: May 4, 2017 Keywords: South Asian Literature, Epic, Gender, Hinduism Copyright © 2017, Sucheta Kanjilal DEDICATION To my mother: for pencils, erasers, and courage. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS When I was growing up in New Delhi, India in the late 1980s and the early 1990s, my father was writing an English language rock-opera based on the Mahabharata called Jaya, which would be staged in 1997. An upper-middle-class Bengali Brahmin with an English-language based education, my father was as influenced by the mythological tales narrated to him by his grandmother as he was by the musicals of Broadway impressario Andrew Lloyd Webber.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes on the Bhagavad Gita to Help Students in Studying Its Philosophy T
    Theosophical University Press Online Edition Notes on the Bhagavad Gita To help students in studying its philosophy T. Subba Row, B.A., B.L., F.T.S. First printing 1934, second printing 1978, by Theosophical University Press. Electronic ISBN 1-55700-126-x (print version available). All rights reserved. This edition may be downloaded for off-line viewing without charge. No part of this publication may be reproduced for commercial or other use in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of Theosophical University Press. For ease in searching, no diacritical marks appear in this electronic version of the text. Contents Preface Introductory Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4 Preface NOTES ON THE BHAGAVAD-GITA, by T. Subba Row, B.A., B.L., was first published in The Theosophist — the magazine founded by H. P. Blavatsky and Col. H. S. Olcott, at Madras, India. The first lecture, entitled 'Introductory,' was delivered at the Convention of the Theosophical Society held in Madras in 1885, and was published in the February, 1886, issue of The Theosophist, Volume VII, No. 77, page 281, with an editorial note stating that it was the introduction to a series of lectures on the Bhagavad-Gita which Subba Row promised to deliver at the next Convention of the Theosophical Society, scheduled for 1886. Thus the four lectures themselves were delivered and published a year later, namely in Volume VIII of The Theosophist, and the discourses were delivered to the delegates attending the Convention of the Theosophical Society, December 27-31, 1886.
    [Show full text]
  • South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal , Book Reviews | 2014 Thinking the Difference: on Feminism and Postcolony [Review Essay] 2
    South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal Book Reviews Thinking the Difference: On Feminism and Postcolony [review essay] Anne Castaing Édition électronique URL : http://journals.openedition.org/samaj/3689 ISSN : 1960-6060 Éditeur Association pour la recherche sur l'Asie du Sud (ARAS) Référence électronique Anne Castaing, « Thinking the Difference: On Feminism and Postcolony [review essay] », South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal [En ligne], Book Reviews, mis en ligne le 18 février 2014, consulté le 30 avril 2019. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/samaj/3689 Ce document a été généré automatiquement le 30 avril 2019. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Thinking the Difference: On Feminism and Postcolony [review essay] 1 Thinking the Difference: On Feminism and Postcolony [review essay] Anne Castaing RÉFÉRENCE Haase-Dubosc, Danielle; Marcelle, Marie E. John; Melkotte, Marini Rama; Tharu, Susie Enjeux contemporains du féminisme indien, Paris: Éditions de la Maison des sciences de l’Homme, 2002, 445 pages. Van Woerkens, Martine Nous ne sommes pas des fleurs: deux siècles de combats féministes en Inde, Paris: Albin Michel, 2010, 363 pages. 1 The recent publication in France of two volumes on South Asian feminism and its reception in the West—Danielle Haase-Dubosc et al.’s Enjeux contemporains du féminisme indien (2002) and Martine Van Woerkens’ Nous ne sommes pas des fleurs: deux siècles de combats féministes en Inde (2010)—has raised several key
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita
    PHILOSOPHY OF BHAGAVAD-GITA T. SUBBA BOW THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE BHAGAVAD-GITA Copyright Registered All Rights Reserved Permission for translations will be given BY THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING HOUSE Adyar, Madras, India THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE BHAGAVAD-GITA BY T. STJBBA ROW Four Lectures delivered at the Eleventh Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society, held at Adyar, on December 27, 28, 29 and 30, 1886 (Second Edition") THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING HOUSE ADYAR, MADRAS, INDIA 1921 T. SUBBA ROW AN APPRECIATION MY acquaintance with T. Subba Row began at the end of 1884, when I came here to Madras and settled down with the intention of practising in the High Court. It was at the Theosophical Convention of 1884 that I first met him, and from the very first moment became so deeply attracted to him as to make it difficult for me to understand why it was so. My admiration of his ability was so great that I began to look upon him almost from that time as a great man. He was a very well-made robust man, and strikingly intellectual. When H. P. B. was here, he was known to be a great favourite of hers. It was said that he first attracted " her attention by a paper called The Twelve Signs of the Zodiao ", which was afterwards published. At the Convention, there was much talk on various topics, and he always spoke with decision, and his views carried great weight. But he spoke little and only what was necessary. There was then a small committee of which Colonel Olcott was the Presi- dent.
    [Show full text]
  • By Veeraswamy Krishnaraj This Is Not the Official Site of Sri Guruvayoorappan Temple
    By Veeraswamy Krishnaraj This is not the official site of Sri Guruvayoorappan Temple. Guruvayurappan Temple had a humble beginning in a hall in the said address several years ago, though its greatness was not any less than now. Then, it was a modest shrine; its grandeur is yet to manifest. The devotees saw the girders rise against the azure sky with fluffy clouds. The building rose around the steel girders through rain, shine, storm and snow in the middle of the woods to the delight of the devotees and the astute planners. Its vista is spectacular. I tried to capture its beauty surrounded by verdant woods turning colors from spring to fall. The trees and the spring and the summer leaves bore witness to the devotees coming and going with reverence in their hearts. As the rains came down from the heavens, each leaf shed its tears of joy to see the temple rise from mother earth. The temple bears rainbow colors on its exterior and its architecture is wonderful. Could this location be Brindavanam of North America? Could this have been where Krishna sported with Gopis in His youth. Such thoughts come up in the mind. See the splash of colors in this portrait bearing witness to the colorful persona of Bhagavan Krishna. The Morganville Temple the namesake of Gurvayur Sri Krishna Temple in Kerala houses Guruvayoorappan as the central deity. Its broad appeal is that the temple houses other deities. The presiding deity is MahaVishnu in the form of Krishna with Tulasi garland, in standing posture with four hands carrying Sankhu (conch), Sudarshana chakram (a serrated disk), lotus and mace.
    [Show full text]
  • ESSENCE of VAMANA PURANA Composed, Condensed And
    ESSENCE OF VAMANA PURANA Composed, Condensed and Interpreted By V.D.N. Rao, Former General Manager, India Trade Promotion Organisation, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, Union Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India 1 ESSENCE OF VAMANA PURANA CONTENTS PAGE Invocation 3 Kapaali atones at Vaaranaasi for Brahma’s Pancha Mukha Hatya 3 Sati Devi’s self-sacrifice and destruction of Daksha Yagna (Nakshatras and Raashis in terms of Shiva’s body included) 4 Shiva Lingodbhava (Origin of Shiva Linga) and worship 6 Nara Narayana and Prahlada 7 Dharmopadesha to Daitya Sukeshi, his reformation, Surya’s action and reaction 9 Vishnu Puja on Shukla Ekadashi and Vishnu Panjara Stotra 14 Origin of Kurukshetra, King Kuru and Mahatmya of the Kshetra 15 Bali’s victory of Trilokas, Vamana’s Avatara and Bali’s charity of Three Feet (Stutis by Kashyapa, Aditi and Brahma & Virat Purusha Varnana) 17 Parvati’s weds Shiva, Devi Kaali transformed as Gauri & birth of Ganesha 24 Katyayani destroys Chanda-Munda, Raktabeeja and Shumbha-Nikumbha 28 Kartikeya’s birth and his killings of Taraka, Mahisha and Baanaasuras 30 Kedara Kshetra, Murasura Vadha, Shivaabhisheka and Oneness with Vishnu (Upadesha of Dwadasha Narayana Mantra included) 33 Andhakaasura’s obsession with Parvati and Prahlaad’s ‘Dharma Bodha’ 36 ‘Shivaaya Vishnu Rupaaya, Shiva Rupaaya Vishnavey’ 39 Andhakaasura’s extermination by Maha Deva and origin of Ashta Bhairavaas (Andhaka’s eulogies to Shiva and Gauri included) 40 Bhakta Prahlada’s Tirtha Yatras and legends related to the Tirthas 42 -Dundhu Daitya and Trivikrama
    [Show full text]
  • Shri Guru Charitra
    Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Maheshwara Guru Sakshat Parabrahmah Tasmai Shree Guru Veh Namah Shri Guru Charitra Introduction 'Shri Guru Charitra' is the life of 'Shri Guru Dattatreya' (an incarnation of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara). It was originally written in Ovi form (a Marathi Metre) in Marathi by Shri Saraswati Gangadhar, whose ancestor Sayamdev had personally lived and served with devotion, Guru Narasimha Saraswati, an incarnation of Shri Dattatreya about 600 years ago. It was later translated into Sanskrit by Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati (Tembye Swamy), who is regarded by many as an incarnation of Shri Dattatreya and who lived about a hundred years ago. It has been later translated into several other languages. This volume is regarded as Divine; capable of blessing one and all who read it with respect and is placed with images of Gods and adored in almost all devotees' houses of Maharashtra. It is much respected and is very popular like Vedas, Ramayan, Mahabharat, Bhagawat and other Puranas in Sanskrit and Dnyaneshwari, Dasbodh, Ekanathi Bhagawat etc. in Marathi. In the last century, it has spread its influence far and wide and legion are the experiences got by those devotees who read it regularly with respect. Shri Dattatreya had taken birth at the Ashram of Atri and Anasuya in very very old times (Krita Yug) and it is believed that his two incarnations namely Shripada Shri Vallabha and Shri Narasimha Saraswati had taken place in the Deccan in about the 14th and 15th Century (A.D.) respectively. Shri Manikya Prabhu, Shri Akkalkot Maharaj, Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi and Shri Vasudevananda Saraswati are some of the great Saints who are considered as the Avatars (incarnations) or Amsas (taking a part of His powers) of Shri Dattatreya.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan
    Table of Contents About the Author Title Page Copyright Page Introduction Dedication Chapter 1 - RAMA’S INITIATION Chapter 2 - THE WEDDING Chapter 3 - TWO PROMISES REVIVED Chapter 4 - ENCOUNTERS IN EXILE Chapter 5 - THE GRAND TORMENTOR Chapter 6 - VALI Chapter 7 - WHEN THE RAINS CEASE Chapter 8 - MEMENTO FROM RAMA Chapter 9 - RAVANA IN COUNCIL Chapter 10 - ACROSS THE OCEAN Chapter 11 - THE SIEGE OF LANKA Chapter 12 - RAMA AND RAVANA IN BATTLE Chapter 13 - INTERLUDE Chapter 14 - THE CORONATION Epilogue Glossary THE RAMAYANA R. K. NARAYAN was born on October 10, 1906, in Madras, South India, and educated there and at Maharaja’s College in Mysore. His first novel, Swami and Friends (1935), and its successor, The Bachelor of Arts (1937), are both set in the fictional territory of Malgudi, of which John Updike wrote, “Few writers since Dickens can match the effect of colorful teeming that Narayan’s fictional city of Malgudi conveys; its population is as sharply chiseled as a temple frieze, and as endless, with always, one feels, more characters round the corner.” Narayan wrote many more novels set in Malgudi, including The English Teacher (1945), The Financial Expert (1952), and The Guide (1958), which won him the Sahitya Akademi (India’s National Academy of Letters) Award, his country’s highest honor. His collections of short fiction include A Horse and Two Goats, Malgudi Days, and Under the Banyan Tree. Graham Greene, Narayan’s friend and literary champion, said, “He has offered me a second home. Without him I could never have known what it is like to be Indian.” Narayan’s fiction earned him comparisons to the work of writers including Anton Chekhov, William Faulkner, O.
    [Show full text]
  • Download/Poverty/33EF03BB-9722-4AE2-ABC7-AA2972D68AFE/Archives-2018/Global POVEQ IND
    religions Article Hardwar: Spirit, Place, and Politics Vikash Singh * and Sangeeta Parashar * Department of Sociology, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA * Correspondence: [email protected] (V.S.); [email protected] (S.P.) Received: 5 December 2018; Accepted: 10 February 2019; Published: 18 February 2019 Abstract: This article describes the narratives and projections that shaped the contested character of Hardwar and the river Ganges as symbols par excellence of the Hindus’ claim to India’s sacred geography over the last two hundred years. It deliberates on the tactics and practices through which Hardwar’s ancient and legendary status has been employed to assert Hindu identity and territorial claims vis-à-vis the colonial administrators, but also to exclude the country’s Muslim and Christian populace. The purifying, divine land of Hardwar enabled the nationalist imagination and struggle for a Hindu India, even as it was instituted as a site for the internal purification of Hinduism itself, to mirror its glorious past. The article describes the contests and claims, based on religion and class, as well as the performance of socio-economic and existential anxieties that the sacred quality of Hardwar and the river Ganges continues to authorize and enable in post-colonial India. For this, we draw particularly on the Kanwar Mela, an annual event in which millions of mostly poor young men carry water from the river Ganges on foot, and often over long distances. We deliberate on the significance of the sacred water, rituals, and the journey in reinforcing these pilgrims’ perceptions of the self, and their moral claims over the nation and its territory.
    [Show full text]
  • Narayana - Wikipedia
    10. 10. 2019 Narayana - Wikipedia Narayana Narayana (Sanskrit: , IAST: Nārāyaṇa) is known as one who is in नारायण Narayana yogic slumber on the celestial waters, referring to Lord Maha Vishnu. He is also known as the "Purusha" and is considered Supreme being in नारायण Vaishnavism. According to the Bhagavat Gita, he is also the "Guru of the Universe". The Bhagavata Purana declares Narayana as the Supreme Personality Godhead who engages in the creation of 14 worlds within the universe as Brahma when he deliberately accepts rajas guna, himself sustains, maintains and preserves the universe as Vishnu by accepting sattva guna. Narayana himself annihilates the universe at the end of maha-kalpa as Kalagni Rudra when he accepts tamas guna. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Narayana Sukta, and Narayana Upanishad from the Vedas, he is the ultimate soul. According to Madhvacharya, Narayana is one of the five Vyuhas of Vishnu, which are cosmic emanations of God in contrast to his incarnate avatars. Bryant, Edwin F., Krishna: a Sourcebook. p.359 "Madhvacharya separates Vishnu’s manifestations into two groups: Vishnu’s vyuhas (emanations) and His avataras (incarnations). The Vyuhas have their basis in the A depiction of Lord Narayana at Pancharatras, a sectarian text that was accepted as authoritative by both Badami cave temples the Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita schools of Vedanta. They are mechanisms Affiliation Adi Narayana by which the universe is ordered, was created, and evolves. According to Abode Vaikuntha Madhvacharya, Vishnu has five vyuhas, named Narayana, Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, which evolve one after the other Mantra ॐ नमो: नारायण in the development of the universe.
    [Show full text]
  • Part 1: the Beginning of Mahabharat
    Mahabharat Story Credits: Internet sources, Amar Chitra Katha Part 1: The Beginning of Mahabharat The story of Mahabharata starts with King Dushyant, a powerful ruler of ancient India. Dushyanta married Shakuntala, the foster-daughter of sage Kanva. Shakuntala was born to Menaka, a nymph of Indra's court, from sage Vishwamitra, who secretly fell in love with her. Shakuntala gave birth to a worthy son Bharata, who grew up to be fearless and strong. He ruled for many years and was the founder of the Kuru dynasty. Unfortunately, things did not go well after the death of Bharata and his large empire was reduced to a kingdom of medium size with its capital Hastinapur. Mahabharata means the story of the descendents of Bharata. The regular saga of the epic of the Mahabharata, however, starts with king Shantanu. Shantanu lived in Hastinapur and was known for his valor and wisdom. One day he went out hunting to a nearby forest. Reaching the bank of the river Ganges (Ganga), he was startled to see an indescribably charming damsel appearing out of the water and then walking on its surface. Her grace and divine beauty struck Shantanu at the very first sight and he was completely spellbound. When the king inquired who she was, the maiden curtly asked, "Why are you asking me that?" King Shantanu admitted "Having been captivated by your loveliness, I, Shantanu, king of Hastinapur, have decided to marry you." "I can accept your proposal provided that you are ready to abide by my two conditions" argued the maiden. "What are they?" anxiously asked the king.
    [Show full text]
  • Menaka's Choice As a Feminist Revisionist Mythological
    Journal of Critical Reviews ISSN- 2394-5125 Vol 7, Issue 9, 2020 MENAKA’S CHOICE AS A FEMINIST REVISIONIST MYTHOLOGICAL LITERATURE Ayuta Mohanty1, Dr. S. D. Chaudhuri2 1PhD Scholar, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, KIIT UNIVERSITY 2Assistant Professor, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, KIIT UNIVERSITY Received: 24.03.2020 Revised: 22.04.2020 Accepted: 25.05.2020 Abstract In patriarchal societies, mythological literature are generally composed by male authors. As a result, it almost always concentrates on the male protagonist and his adventures. The role that women play in these epics can be grouped into the following three categories: a) passive onlookers, b) receivers of the male action, and c) causes of the troubles faced by the male protagonists/ characters. Such biased depiction affects the mentality of our society as these values get embedded within our psyche and shapes our thoughts and perspectives and ultimately becomes a social tradition. Partially in an attempt to change this outlook, some Indian women writers have started a fresh and subversive trend by recreating mythological texts from the point of view of the female characters. These recreations or retellings help us to understand these epics from quite a dissimilar perspective, because when the perception of the narrator changes, the way a reader perceives a narrative is bound to change as well. This paper focuses on one such novel, Menaka’s Choice by Kavita Kane, that focuses on the perspective of Menaka and highlights her strengths and weakness that led her to make certain decisions that changed her course of life as well as that of others related to her.
    [Show full text]