India.
It is the
seventh largest country by land mass, and the second only to China, in
the world populace.
Bordered by
Asia, Pakistan, China, and Nepal, it features the Himalayans to the
north, the world’s highest mountain chain.
The Himalayans are a very important aspect
of the Hindu religion, as Mount Kailasa is said to be the home of the
Hindu god Shiva. Within this religion, devout Hindus believe
Shiva is in
a state of perpetual meditation upon the mountain. From the
massive mountain formations of the Himalayas flow two major
rivers, The Ganges and the Brahmaputra. These rivers are the main
water source to 27
states of India.
Just like the Himalayas, the Ganges River
is a closely associated with the Hindu god Shiva. It is said the
Ganges river itself flows from the matted hair of this god. But
it is the
palm-tree-lined beaches along the Indian Ocean which is over 2,000
miles away from the highest peaks in the world, that provide the beauty
and tranquility to India’s Southern shores.
And in between, an area of desert and also
lush rainforests both challenge
the most resilent with their forces of nature.
Over
the
years, India has been inhabited by people of many different
cultures. The customs,
cultural nuances, and
traditions of the variety of people were just naturally absorbed and
assimilated into native India. For example, most of the architecture,
music, dance, language,
and religious thought readily reflect the impressions left by the other
cultures. Although
Hinduism is still the dominating religion of the country,
Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Bahai’ism, Zoroastrianism, and
traces of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity can be found throughout the
country today. However, my stories will come soley from the
religion and culture of Hinduism.
Off
the southern coast of India lies the island of Sri Lanka. This
island
has been known throughout history as a strategic naval post. This
is
widely due to the area of water separating the island from India, more
commonly known as the Gulf of Mannar. It is believed there used
to be
a land bridge connecting India and Sri Lanka. British historians
believe it is a natural causeway that was destroyed by a storm in the
1400's, but it is more commonly known as Rama's Bridge. Whatever
it is
or was, all that is left is a chain of limestone stepping stones just
above sea level.
Hinduism is also known as Sanatāna Dharma,
"The Eternal Law," and the sacred writings of this ancient religion
tell
of
many moral and life teaching lessons in which all Hindu believers
should follow. The ancient written language of India,
known as
sanskrit, is how most of the Hindu religious texts are known
today. One of the more well known and widely known translated
Sanskrit texts
from India is the Ramayana. This epic journey follows the life of
Prince Rama and his trials and conquests through many different scenes,
from crossing of rivers, escapades through forests, travelling to the
Himalayas and even crossing the ocean to Sri Lanka. This epic
also holds many beautiful creation stories. Of all the creation stories
associated with
the
Ramayana, I have chosen to re-tell the story of the Ganga
river's descent from heaven, Mainaka and the creation of clouds,
the birth of monkeys, and the birth of the eclipse.
In order for me
to tell you these stories, I have to tell you the story of the four
brothers.
My
story is set
in a 1950's one-room
school house. It has been a year since the four brothers, Alex,
Ty, Trey, and Andy, travelled to their Utopian paradises. (You can read
this story at 4
Brothers: Visions of Paradise.) This
year, their teacher chose to have a teacher's assistant from
India, Mr. Mahajan.
Every
Thursday, Mr. Majahan told students beautiful stories of his
homeland.
The boys became fascinated with the adventures of the different Hindu
gods and demons, known as Rakshasas. Every chance they got, they
asked Mr. Mahajan
to tell them more
Indian folklore
stories. Sometimes at recess, the four brothers reenacted the
adventure they had heard. Mr Mahajan
realized these boys
were special, and
began to watch them more closely. Their imaginations were
amazing. Anything they dreamed would come to life. Mr. Mahajan
believed he could
show them how to open
their minds even further. One day Mr. Mahajan
decided to accompany
Alex, Ty, Trey and
Andy on their long
walk home.
Continue
to Chapter 1
Background provided by Flikr