Carlo Williams

The first topic I wanted to search on Wikipedia was Durvasa . He is a sage that casts curses on people, while also sometimes rarely giving people blessings. He is known for being ill tempered and he was a major reason why the churning of the ocean needed to be done. Then from Durvasa I clicked on the Samudra manthan . This is an episode that involves the churning of the ocean found within the Mahabharata Bhavagata Purana. It is interesting that this is found in several different sources and how the telling of the story may be a little different in each source. From there I clicked on Mount Mandara . Mount Mandara was actually used as the churning rod by the gods and demons to churn the ocean. Lastly, I clicked on the Mandar Parvat , which is a small mountain within the district of Bihar. Supposedly, this may have been Mount Mandara that was used to churn the ocean.                                 ...

The first word I decided to look up was the Mahabharata since that is the reading I started with this week. It is an interesting epic and apparently the longest epic that has been written. The next term I looked up was Ganga . Ganga is viewed as a sacred being within the Mahabharata. I wrote my story over Ganga. I wanted to learn more about her and how she has influenced Indian culture and how she has been incorporated into other literatures. In addition from Ganga I clicked on sin. In Thailand Ganga is known for washing away sins. It is interesting to see how different religions and cultures view the concept of sin. Lastly from sins I decided to click on divine law.  Divine laws are laws created by the gods that man should follow. Not to follow those laws could be viewed as being sinful. There is a difference between divine laws and mans laws.                                     ...

The first topic I wanted to look at was Sita . I read a graphic about Sita being the Daughter of the Earth. I thought it would be interesting to see what other links are related with Sita. I found an interesting link involving the trial by ordeal. Sita had undergone a trial by ordeal by proving her virtue to Rama. I thought it was interesting there was a trial by ordeal link in Wikipedia.  Then I decided to click on the Middle Ages . Trial by ordeals were common during the Middle ages. However, trials by ordeal have been started becoming less uncommon going into the Late Middle Ages.  I lastly decided to choose the First Crusade . The First Crusade was an event that took place during the Middle Ages. I thought I would click on it because I am taking a class called the Crusades and we just learned about the First Crusade. It is interesting that I am able to go from Sita to the First Crusade.                    ...

I decided to start out my Wikipedia trails with Sugriva. Sugriva was the ruler of Kishkindha. However, when his brother, Vali, thought Sugriva betrayed him, Vali then removed Sugriva from the kingdom and also took Sugriva's wife as his own. Then, I decided to focus on Vali, the brother of Sugriva. After Vali forcibly removed Sugriva from his kingdom, Sugriva asks help of Rama. Vali does not realize the extent of Rama's powers and is defeated by Rama. It was thought Vali was invincible, yet Rama was able to defeat him. Next, I clicked on Tara . Tara was originally the wife of Sugriva. However, once Sugriva fled the kingdom from Vali, she became the wife of Vali. What is interesting about Tara is that she is nymph that is created from the churning of the ocean. Lastly, I decided to click on apsara to find out more about the term. An apsara is a supernatural female spirit who could potentially change fate and serve gods, similar to angels. They can be compared to the muse...

The first Wikipedia article I decided to focus on was the " Ramayana ". This week we began reading the Ramayana and I thought it was appropriate to have this be my starting topic. The Ramayana has so much information and it could take me various places throughout the world of Wikipedia. Then, I went to Rama. The Ramayana is about Rama. Rama is one of the avatars of Vishnu. Rama has much strength and intelligence. It is interesting getting to learn about Rama and I am excited to learn more about Rama as I continue reading through the book. After I viewed Rama, I decided to click on his brother Lakshmana. I am interested in Lakshmana because he seems like he wants to put up a fight sometimes, but he also has wisdom in certain parts of the Ramayana. For example, when he did not want to leave Sita, his hunch was right, but Sita thought Rama was in danger. I would like to hopefully hear more about Lakshmana throughout the Indian epic. Lastly, from Lakshmana I went and clic...