Indian Epics

Imagine an office. This office is just like all other offices. It has dull gray carpet, dozens of neatly aligned cubicles, and yellow fluorescent overhead lights. In one of the cubicles, sits Ms. Alecia Turtle. She is a middle aged woman who seems to always walk with a permanent hunch. She wears dark olive green glasses. Ms. Turtle leans over her computer, hurriedly typing away. Her tongue pokes out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrates. Cindy! You would not believe what I just heard!  Her nails are painted green. The movements of her fingers are dramatically exaggerated as she clacks away at her keyboard. Jim heard that Britney said that Ron and his wife are getting divorced. Can you believe it!? She smugly sends the IM to her coworker. A ding sounds across the office. There is quietly audible typing. Ms. Turtle's computer flashes: New Message -- From Cindy Squirrel.  Ms. Turtle hungrily opened the message. Poor Ron. I know Mr. Goose is really cracking down ...

Reading A 1. The first Jataka is similar to the earlier one we read about a crocodile wanting to eat a monkey's heart. One difference is that in this story, it is a crocodile mother and son instead of a wife and husband. As in the first story, the monkey tricks the crocodile. 2. This is a retelling of when the turtle tricks the king and his court to be thrown into the water. 3. The third Jataka is about two merchants. One is fair and another is greedy. The needy merchant tires to swindle an old women for her golden bowl, but his efforts are thwarted by his own arrogance and the honesty of another merchant. 4. This is another retelling of the Jataka tale about the turtle who is carried by the geese, but plummets to his death because he cannot keep his mouth shut. 5. This is a story of an ox and his owner that teaches the value of treating one another with respect. 6. In this tale, a band of travelers discard of their water because they think they are nearly out of the desert. ...