The Mythical Mashup: The Many Faces of Rama and Krishna

Ramayana and Mahabharata are the two OG epic texts in Hindu culture. They’re all about epic warriors who had their highs and lows, and lots of promises made and broken (yeah, dating drama wasn’t a new thing back then either). These stories totally shape our memories, imaginations, and cultural vibes, yup pretty deep!

Revising all the SST lessons, the Indian cultural landscape and its super epic diversity have played an important role in shaping these tales and making them the greatest of all time. However, the question is, ‘are they heard or seen enough?’ (existential crisis fr)

Don’t worry though, this writer has gotchu! In this blog, we will look at some of the variations of each ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ and how these differences have lowkey flexed the cultural richness of India.

Ravana once said ‘Mere paas maa hai’ and quite literally though…so the story goes, “after the death of his (Ravana) son ‘Mahiravana’ the asura king decided to slay in the battlefield, genuinely! And asked goddess Shakti for help. And when women come to the battlefield, even the devil takes note. At this sight, a low-spirited Rama lost all his hope, nonetheless lord Brahma came up with a rescue plan ‘Akaal Bodhan of Durga: untimely worship of the Mother Goddess for success in life’.

As per the instruction, lord Rama was all in for the pooja on Saptami, and Ashtami. Goddess Durga passing all the efforts did not bless lord Rama. Vibhishana suggested (sus vibes!) that on Navami, Rama should worship the Durga with 108 Blue Lotuses found in the heavens. Here comes the plot twist, while Rama was meditating Durga decided to test Rama’s devotion and took one lotus slyly.

A stressed Rama (also known as Padmalochana; eyes like lotus) decided to offer his one eye in the place of that stolen lotus (gory enough). Shook by his devotion, the goddess Durga appeared and blessed Rama with Victory. While the original text does not contain this story and may appear patriarchal, poet Krittibas Ojha’s Bangla translation of the Ramayana beautifully fits this story to suit the folk culture of West Bengal. (Some might say he’s just ahead of his time)

If I tell you the three marks on the squirrel’s back are because of lord Rama (dope right!). ‘Ranganatha Ramayana’ is a Telugu adaptation of the epic that highlights the importance of effort regardless of the size (and some of you are stuck with that emotionally unavailable guy!). Squirrels after noticing a group of vanaras near the mountains lifting boulders and carrying them to the ocean with bravery to build a bridge for lord Rama to cross the waters, decided to help in the cause.

The squirrels hoped that when the lord walked over the rocks and mountains that formed the bridge, his tender feet would not get hurt by the rough surface. They went into the ocean, got wet, returned to the shore, rolled in the sand, and shook themselves to remove the sand particles. They did this near the rocks placed by the vanaras, so the pathway could be softened for the lord to walk on (Green flag alert!).  Lord Rama noticed this supreme devotion of the tiny squirrels in a selfless manner. He gathered all the squirrels close to him and stroked them. And voila, the three marks on the squirrel’s back.

When we mention Mahabharat, one thing that comes to mind is how sexist and male-dominated our society is, salty fr! But what if there are adaptations that glorify women’s autonomy over their bodies and desires,  it’s like, men are Hella trippin' about women getting smarter and owning their shit! (emotional damage).

When we mention Mahabharat, one thing that comes to mind is how sexist and male-dominated our society is, salty fr! But what if there are adaptations that glorify women’s autonomy over their bodies and desires,  it’s like, men are Hella trippin' about women getting smarter and owning their shit! (emotional damage).

The ‘Bhil Bharata’ is a retelling of the epic ‘Mahabharata’ and has hyped the status of women in our otherwise restrictive culture. In this version, the goddess Shakti takes the form of an eagle and from the bones and flesh & blood are born ‘Gandhari’ and ‘Kunti’ respectively (Boss Babe energy!), it is also shown in the retelling that ‘Indra’ himself comes down to earth and prepare a throne for ‘Kunti’ who is shown riding a buffalo with a lamp in one hand. The ‘Bhil Bharata’ also reimagines ‘Draupadi’ as a goddess who arrives on a tiger, and her five husbands worship her. Girls rule the roost! They're the bosses, and guys are their lucky assistants.

 ‘Mangoes are grown out of truth’ and are called ‘Mango of Truth’. The ‘Sarala Mahabharata’ is an Odia representation of ‘Mahabharata’ composed by Sarala Das also known as the "Aadikavi" (the first poet) of Oriya Literature. The legend goes, ‘Duryodhana decided to send Gouramukha disguised as a Brahmin (and instructed him to ask for a ripe mango in the month of autumn) and also check the whereabouts of Pandavas living in exile.

However, lord Krishna comes to the rescue and asks all the brothers and Draupadi to tell one truthful statement (to be clear he did not ask them to spill too much tea!). Draupadi’s confession shook everyone as she accepted having feelings for Karna (Situationship alert!).

These powerful stories demonstrate how women are the driving forces behind their desires. Baddie vibes fr!