Indian Epics Blog

This week, for my Wikipedia trail, I started off learning about the Rakshasa, and ended up on the page for the acre. We will learn about two interesting intermediate steps along the way as well. First, I started on the page for: Rakshasa.  Rakshasas are a class of mythical beings within Indian mythology, the name translating to "man-eater." They are somewhat similar to what contemporary mythology might consider a demon or monster. Within the Ramayana, rakshasas are beings that are on the side of Ravana, the commander of the rakshasas, and there are many battles in the midpoint of the Ramayana about the rakshasas and the monkey armies. On the page of the Rakshasa was the page for: The Bengali Language . Bengali is the main language of the nation Bangladesh, and it is the second most spoken language within the India-Asia region, only behind Hindu. It developed at some point around the first millennium BCE, and it came to prominence around 500 AD, though that year is argued ...

This week, I continue a Wikipedia trail that interestingly starts out with Ravana, and ends up at the Zero-Sum Game theory from economics. Ravana  is one of the main characters of the Ramayana, stealing Sita away from Rama, and opposing Rama in great battles. He is depicted as the Rakshasa king within the poem, and the king of Lanka. He is depicted with ten heads, and he is considered to be one of the greatest devotees of Shiva. One Ravana's page, there is a link to... Political Science.  This is the field that studies governance, policy implementation, fields of law, etc. Essentially the study of the interaction between people and politics of any kind. It's focuses are on the roles, decision-making, and allocation of power within each different area of government. While it can be similar across cultures, it is often thought to be a different field of study when compared to two different governments, such as China and the United States. On the page of Political Science, th...

This week, I used the starting point of the Ramayana for my Wikipedia trail, which ended up with the page for Espresso. First, we start with the Ramayana , which is an epic Indian Poem. In the poem, the exile of Rama and his wife, Sita is described, as well as their eventual return. There are stories of different Gods and monsters within it. It is one of the largest poems in existence with over 24,000 verses and over 500 chapters. The common themes are that of honesty, duty, and the ideal son and father. Within the Ramayana was the post for: Indonesia . Indonesia is an archipelago (collection of close islands) north of Australia. It is one of the most populated islands and has been an important trade region for many years. Since it is so close to the equator, there is not four different seasons, but rather, a dry season and a wet season. This results in a decently tropical climate as a whole. Within the page for Indonesia was a page for: Coffee.   Coffee is a drink that ...

This week, I researched more into Indra, the Thunder God, and followed a Wikipedia Trail that lead me to scientific pressure. My starting point: Indra, the Thunder God . Indra is a deity in Hindi and Buddhist texts, and he is often thought of as the Thunder God, God of the heavens, rains, lightning, and rivers flowing. He is known for defeating Vritra, a serpent monster associated with the drought, and he is seen in high regard. Also mentioned on his page is: Thor , the Norse God of Thunder. Thor is known for his red hair, beard, and his hammer that he wields. There is thought to be a parallel between Thor and Indra based on their hair color, and different weapons they wield that are considered to be signature items. Thor wields his hammer while Indra wields a thunderbolt named Vajra. Mentioned on Thor's page is: Thunder . This one should seem obvious, but an interesting thing about thunder is that while it is often considered to be connected to lightning in some way, it is a...