For my storybook, I decided to tell the tales of minor heroes, the sidekicks, if you will, of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Epics, regardless of where they are from, tend to focus on the exploits and heroics of great men whose deeds are celebrated greatly, be it Odysseus, Beowulf or Rama. But so much goes unsung of those who fight alongside these heroes and made so much of what they did possible. They are the men - and other beings - that truly make everything possible.

I found myself especially drawn to these loyal friends because, as a writer, I found them to be the most dramatically interesting characters, full of humor and strong motivations. These characters can serve to tell the hero when he is wrong and when he is right, and are often unafraid to speak their minds. In the Indian epic, the Ramayana, Rama comes to depend on those who are loyal to him, through their words and actions, to such a degree that it is utterly impossible to ignore the importance of sidekicks.

I believe the importance of these characters to the narrative points out an important belief that’s held by people all over the world; true friendship is perhaps the most important thing that one can possess in life. A true friend will go above and beyond the call for you, perhaps even move mountains – figuratively or, as in the case of Hanuman, literally. Friends help keep one grounded. As my friends in my band tell me when they decide to tease me incessantly, it “keeps me from getting arrogant.” In truth, they’re just making an excuse to tease someone, but the sentiment is true. Friends help remind us of our limitations, and perhaps it was the fact that Ravana did not show the same loyalty to those who served him as they showed to him that led the rakshasa king to his defeat. He had no one to curb his arrogance.

The stories here focus on the deeds that sidekicks in the Ramayana and Mahabharata accomplish for the sake of friendship. I used a framing story to set up these tales. In the afterlife, there is a campfire that burns eternally, where like-minded spirits gather to regale each other with tales and enjoy each other's company. The story finds a gathering of Lakshmana, Hanuman, Krishna and Karna, as they discuss their exploits from their own points of view, fielding questions and comments from their spiritual peers. Lakshmana tells the story of when Maricha, masked as the Golden Deer, lures away Rama and he is left to protect Sita. Hanuman tells the story of retrieving the Dronagiri mountain to find the herb that would cure Lakshmana, knowing that without Lakshmana, Rama would lose the will to fight against the rakshasas, meaning certain defeat. Krishna comes to tell the story of how he gave a lesson to Arjuna to settle his nervousness in battle. Finally, Karna comes to tell how he kept his word, knowing that it would probably mean his death.

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In heaven above, there is a forest, or rather, what we in our small corporeal perception would see as a forest. Sometimes it is a frigid pine forest, at times full of rolling hills and tall oaks.

Tonight, it is a jungle, its humidity cooled in the night air. Birds sleep on the branches while monkeys call to one another. A tiger stalks by, wary of the flames, but never hungry, for the beasts of this forest have found their peace and do not have need of want. Four spirits approach the fire to share their tales and revel in past glories…

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Cover Page
1. Lakshmana Did His Best
2. Hanuman Moved A Mountain
3. Krishna Taught A Lesson
4. Karna Kept His Word