Reading Notes: Kincaid. Tales from the Indian epic, Part B

Notes: 

Ruru and Pramadvara

• Ruru is the grandson of Vrigu
• Dancing girl, Menaka, from god Indra's court fell in love with Visvavasu and they had a baby girl but hid her from the god Indra so she put her baby girl by a river.
• Sthulokesha, a rishi, took the the girl and raised her

            - He named her Pramadvara

• Ruru saw her and instantly wanted to marry her

           - before their wedding Pramadvara got bitten by a poisonous snake and died
           - Ruru agreed to give half the span of his life to Pramadvara to bring her back

• Story of the rock snake pg 51

Nala and Damayanti

• Bhima's daughter is named Damayanti after the rich who promised him 3 sons and a daughter. 
• King Nala of the Nishadas heard of Damayanti's beauty and longed for her. 

          - they're using a golden swan to talk back and forth

          - maybe I could make a story between 2 young kids who like each other but are talking by 

             dropping notes in each others lockers or something.  pg 56

• Bhima is hosting a Swayamvara of Damayanti so she can choose her husband
• All the princes and kings forgot to worship Indra
• I could write a story about how Narada, a sage, visited Indra and how he, Agni, Varuna, and Yama became infatuated with Damayanti like King Nala had. pg 57
• The gods even went as far to disguise themselves as King Nala to confuse Damayanti

               - I could have fun with his story.

• Nala and Damayanti lived happily for 12 yrs. and had a son named Indrasena and a daughter named Indrasena
• god Kali wanted Damayanti so badly he waited 12 yrs for Nala to slip up

           - I could also write a story about this 

          - Kali controlled Nala

            - I'm thinking Harry Potter imperious curse!!

(Nala leaving Damayanti)

• There's this whole story line about how Kali controlled Nala to lose everything he had besides Damayanti b/c of course kali wanted her. 

           - Kali got Nala to leave Damayanti and now she is wondering around and getting attacked by  

    snakes and men grabbing her for themselves. 

• I could make a story about Damayanti dreaming the whole thing.  pg 70

                - the tiger

                - the oasis

                - the old men

• Damayanti met some merchants and is traveling with them. 
• She ended up at a royal palace. 

• Meanwhile Nala is just wandering around until he runs into the snake king

         - Nala saves the snake King and the snake bites him to torture Kali out of him and tells him to 

             go to Ayodhya where the King Rituparna will befriend him. 

• There's this big ol' long story about how Nala and Damayanti find each other; not that interesting to me. 
• Now Nala is going to win back his kingdom b/c he knows the art of dice now. 
• He won! Now he rules Nashada again,

Bibliography: Tales from the Indian Epic. C.A. Kincaid. 1918.