4 - Hare-y Tales

Summary

The podcast 'Stories from India' explores Indian mythology through engaging tales. Hosted by Narad Monei, a mythological character with eternal life, each episode features a story and a character of the week. This episode discusses two rabbit-related tales, one showcasing the rabbit's wit in outsmarting a lion, and the other illustrating the consequences of blind panic. The character of the week is Durga, a powerful warrior goddess. The episode concludes with a teaser for the next segment on Bikram and Bethal stories, emphasizing the value of critical thinking.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ The podcast 'Stories from India' explores myths, legends, and folk tales from India's diverse cultures.
• 🧙‍♂️ The host, Narad Mone, is a mythological character with eternal life and knowledge of past, present, and future.
• 📚 The first story tells of a clever rabbit that outsmarts a lion by tricking it into looking at its own reflection in a well.
• 🦁 The second story features a naive rabbit who panics and causes a mass frenzy by mistakenly believing the sky is falling.
• 🐰 The first story's moral is about the intelligence of the rabbit and the second story's moral is about the importance of not blindly following others.
• 📖 The first story is from 'Panchatantra', a collection of fables, while the second is from 'Jataka Tales', stories conveying simple messages.
• 🌟 The character of the week is Durga, a warrior goddess and an avatar of Shakti, who defeated the buffalo-headed demon Mahishasur.
• 🎉 Durga's victory is celebrated in the festival of Durga Puja, where she is worshipped for her strength and power.
• 📝 The podcast invites listeners to provide feedback, corrections, and suggestions to improve the content.
• 🎶 The podcast features music from Purple Planet and is hosted on sfi-podcast.com with updates on Twitter at @SFI_podcast.

Q & A

What is the podcast 'Stories from India' about?

The podcast 'Stories from India' is about myths, legends, and folk tales from India, exploring the diverse cultures and their unique mythological stories.

Who is the host of the podcast 'Stories from India'?

The host of the podcast is Narad Mone, a mythological character who appears in many of the stories and is known for his eternal life, knowledge of past, present, and future, and always speaking the truth.

What is the first story about in the podcast episode?

The first story is about a jungle where a powerful lion threatens the other animals, leading them to devise a plan to deliver one of their own to the lion daily to avoid further killings.

What solution do the animals in the jungle propose to the lion in the first story?

The animals propose a daily delivery of one of their own to the lion as food, in exchange for the lion not hunting and killing them randomly.

How does the rabbit in the first story outsmart the lion?

The rabbit tricks the lion by claiming there is another lion who has been eating the animals meant for the lion, leading the lion to a well where he sees his own reflection, and in his anger, he jumps into the well and drowns.

What is the moral of the first story in the podcast?

The moral of the first story is that intelligence and wit can overcome strength and aggression, as demonstrated by the rabbit outsmarting the lion.

What is the second story about in the podcast episode?

The second story is about a rabbit who, after being hit on the head by an acorn, panics and spreads the false news that the sky is falling, causing chaos among the other animals.

What is the source of the second story in the podcast?

The second story is from the Jataka Tales, a series of stories by Buddha that convey simple messages through short tales.

What is the moral of the second story in the podcast?

The moral of the second story is to be careful whom we follow and to challenge assertions when necessary, as the animals blindly followed the rabbit's panic without verifying the truth.

Who is the character of the week in the podcast episode?

The character of the week is Durga, a warrior goddess who is an avatar of Shakti and Parvati, known for her power and the defeat of the buffalo-headed demon Mahishasur.

What is the significance of Durga in Indian mythology?

Durga is significant as a symbol of feminine power and victory over evil, having been created by the gods to defeat a demon who could not be killed by man or god.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Introduction to Stories from India Podcast

The script introduces the 'Stories from India' podcast, a platform exploring Indian myths, legends, and folk tales. The host, Narad Mone, a character from these narratives, presents himself as a figure with eternal life and knowledge of past, present, and future. The episode's theme involves stories about rabbits and lions, contrasting their intelligence. The character of the week is Durga, a powerful warrior goddess, likened to a mix of cinematic characters. The podcast aims to discuss two stories, one showcasing the rabbit's wit over the lion, and another reversing the roles.

05:02

🐰 The Rabbit's Clever Bargain with the Lion

This paragraph narrates a story where animals in a jungle, led by an elephant, devise a plan to appease a predatory lion by offering themselves as daily meals to avoid random killings. The arrangement is managed through a draw of straws, and eventually, a rabbit family is chosen. The rabbit, seeking a way to protect his family, tricks the lion by showing his reflection in a well, pretending it's another lion that has eaten the other rabbits. The lion, enraged, attacks his own reflection and drowns, leading to the animals' liberation and the rabbit being hailed as a hero.

10:03

🌳 The Misadventure of the Rabbit and the 'Falling Sky'

The second story features a rabbit who, after a big lunch, naps under an oak tree and is hit on the head by an acorn. Believing the sky is falling, the rabbit panics and spreads the alarm, causing a mass hysteria among the forest animals. The lion, skeptical of the claim, investigates and discovers the truth about the acorn. The story illustrates the importance of questioning assumptions and not blindly following panic or misinformation, which is a common theme in folklore used to impart wisdom.

15:07

📚 Origins of the Stories and the Character Durga

The script concludes with the origins of the two stories, one from the Panchatantra and the other from the Jataka tales, both ancient Indian texts with moral lessons. The Panchatantra was accessible to common people, while the Jataka tales were stories told by Buddha. The second story is connected to the children's tale 'Chicken Little.' The character of the week, Durga, is introduced as a powerful goddess born from the collective energies of the gods to defeat the buffalo-headed demon, Mahishasur. The script ends with an invitation to listeners to engage with the podcast for upcoming stories and a note of gratitude to the supporters.

Keywords

💡Narad Muni

Narad Muni is a mythological character from Hindu mythology, known for his eternal life and knowledge spanning past, present, and future. He is a traveling musician and storyteller by profession. In the script, Narad Muni serves as the host of the podcast, guiding listeners through the myths and legends of India, making him central to the theme of storytelling and mythological exploration.

💡Diversity

Diversity refers to the range of different cultures, languages, and mythologies within a country. The script mentions India as a very diverse country with dozens of distinct cultures, each having its own brand of mythology. This concept is integral to the podcast's theme, emphasizing the variety of stories and the richness of Indian cultural heritage.

💡Mythology

Mythology is the collection of myths and legends that a particular culture or group of people believes in and passes down from generation to generation. The podcast 'Stories from India' is centered around exploring Indian mythology, as indicated by the title and the content of the episodes, which discuss various myths and legends.

💡Character of the Week

The 'Character of the Week' segment is a part of the podcast where a particular character from Indian mythology is highlighted. In the script, Dura, a warrior goddess, is introduced as the character of the week. This segment adds depth to the podcast by providing detailed insights into individual mythological figures.

💡Panchatantra

Panchatantra is an ancient Indian collection of stories that was more accessible to the common person, as opposed to other texts that were exclusive to the elite classes. In the script, the first story about the lion and the rabbit is mentioned as being from the Panchatantra, indicating its origin and the type of narrative being discussed.

💡Jataka Tales

Jataka Tales are a series of stories told by the Buddha, often conveying simple messages through small tales. The second story about the rabbit and the 'sky falling' is from the Jataka Tales, as mentioned in the script. This keyword is relevant as it provides context to the source and moral of the second story discussed.

💡Dura (Durga)

Dura, also known as Durga, is a warrior goddess in Hindu mythology, an avatar of Shakti and Parvati. She is celebrated for defeating the buffalo-headed demon Mahishasura. The script describes Dura as a powerful figure, illustrating her significance in Indian mythology and the theme of good triumphing over evil.

💡Bethal

Bethal refers to a vampire-like creature in Indian folklore. The script mentions that in the next episode, the podcast will cover stories involving Bethals, which will provide life lessons through brain teasers. This keyword is a teaser for upcoming content and relates to the educational aspect of the podcast.

💡Folklore

Folklore encompasses the traditional stories, legends, and myths that are passed down through generations within a culture. The script references various folktales, such as those involving lions and rabbits, which are part of Indian folklore and contribute to the podcast's exploration of cultural narratives.

💡Subscription Fee

In the context of the script, the 'subscription fee' is a humorous suggestion made by a character to charge the lion for the animals being delivered as food. This concept is used to illustrate the animals' attempt to negotiate with the lion and shows their creativity in trying to control their fate.

💡Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true but helps explain an idea or make a comparison. In the script, the phrase 'let's address the elephant in the room' is a metaphor referring to discussing a significant issue that everyone is aware of but hesitant to mention. This usage adds a layer of storytelling technique to the narrative.

Highlights

Introduction to the podcast 'Stories from India' which explores myths, legends, and folk tales from India's diverse cultures.

Host Narad Mone introduces himself as a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge of past, present, and future.

The podcast discusses two stories involving rabbits and lions, showcasing different perspectives on their intelligence and abilities.

The first story features a clever rabbit outwitting a lion, demonstrating the rabbit's superior intelligence.

The second story humorously portrays a rabbit causing panic by mistakenly believing the sky is falling after being hit by an acorn.

The character of the week is Durga, a warrior goddess with the power to defeat the buffalo-headed demon Mahishasur.

Durga's creation by the gods to defeat Mahishasur, who was made immortal by a loophole in a wish granted by Brahma.

The festival of Durga Puja, celebrated in her honor, is mentioned as a significant cultural event.

The podcast references the Panchatantra and Jataka tales, two ancient collections of stories with moral and practical lessons.

The Panchatantra's accessibility to common people and the Jataka tales' appeal due to their simple moral messages are highlighted.

A discussion on the importance of critical thinking and challenging assertions, inspired by the second story about the rabbit.

The connection between the second story and the children's tale 'Chicken Little' is noted, showing cultural adaptations.

The upcoming episode's preview featuring Bikram and Bethal stories, which use brain teasers to impart life lessons.

A historical king who stood up to a great conqueror and earned respect, to be featured in the next character segment.

Invitation for listeners to provide feedback, comments, or suggestions to improve the podcast.

Acknowledgment of the support from family, friends, and listeners, expressing gratitude for their contributions to the podcast's success.

The podcast's music is credited to Purple Planet, providing a source for the background music used in the episodes.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

hello and welcome to stories from India

a podcast where we talk about myths

Legends and folk tales from

India now as you probably know India is

a very diverse country there are dozens

of distinct cultures

each with their own brand of Mythology

and in their own

language I'm your host narad monei and

I'm a mythological character myself I

personally appear in many of these

stories and I play an important role in

some of them I was given the gift of

eternal life and knowledge of the past

the present and the

future and I also always speak the truth

I'm a traveling musician and a story

tell by profession so the way I'm doing

my job is by

podcast during each episode we'll be

talking about a story from Indian

mythology followed by a character of the

week

segment we'll cover two stories this

week both involv rabbits the first story

shows how rabbits are smarter than Lions

and the Second Story does exactly the

opposite the character this week is Dura

a warrior goddess who rides around on a

tiger she is sort of a mashup of the

Bride from the killbill movies and

Wolverine from the X-Men but way more

powerful especially if you're an evil

Buffalo headed demon and yes the last

part is exactly what it sounds like so

let's jump

in our first story is set in a jungle

which had a huge and powerful lion

the lion love to kill and eat for

pleasure mostly kill for pleasure

because that's what Lions do in

folktales in actual fact lionesses are

way better at hunting and killing than

Lions but most mythology assumes the

Lions do all the

work the animals in the jungle all got

together after being absolutely certain

that the lion wasn't

around the elephant trumpeted to call

the meeting to order and brought up the

first and only item on the

agenda so he said let's address the

elephant in the

room hello elephant said

everyone that's not what I meant replied

the elephant the fact is we are all in

danger the lion can easily kill us all

mercilessly and maybe not even have the

decency to eat us

afterwards maybe if we all sprinkled on

some garnish said a thoughtful but silly

old monkey that's not the point every

day we step out we can't even be sure

we'll return home safely said the

elephant why don't we take out the lion

asked a wild warar you are bigger and

more powerful than him he said to the

elephant I am bigger admitted the

elephant but it won't work I'm an Asian

elephant I just don't have the

programming for

aggression no one had any other ideas it

seemed all the animals just stared

around at each other until finally a

deer spoke

up we could suggest an agreement instead

we could deliver food to the lion every

day and by food I mean us we could

volunteer to send one of us every day

then we can be in charge of something

even if it's just to decide how many of

us are killed and maybe we can charge

him some sort of a subscription fee

too if he kills for pleasure will he be

happy with that asked the

elephant it's worth a try said the

snake I heard him complaining the other

day about all the chasing and running

around all right it's a good idea said

the

elephant oh it's not mine said the deer

I got the idea from last week's stories

from India podcast when some villagers

came to a similar agreement with

bakasur I verified it with my financial

adviser who suggested that in these

volatile times it is better to convert

your floating rate losses into a fixed

rate

one interesting said the elephant it may

prompt some listeners to hear last

week's episode but it doesn't add any

value to us here so let's just move on

turning to all the the animals he asked

all in

favor I said all the animals but

half-heartedly this isn't quite what

they were hoping for but it was a small

Improvement the eagle was chosen to give

the message to the lion since he could

quickly fly Out Of Reach of the Lion's

Paws if

necessary the lion heard the

proposal you're basically telling me I'm

going to get my four square meals a day

Del to my doorstep every single

day uh uh uh said the eagle not four

square Meals one meal that's all lions

eat anyway you'll not go hungry we may

send a different kind of animal every

day but rest assured we'll make sure

your catered meal is filling you have to

promise us not to kill anyone else

though the lion was happy ooh so my meal

will be a surprise every day I love

surprises he was happy to go along with

the

arrangement and so it

began every day animals Drew straws and

the one who got the shortest went to the

lion and was promptly

eaten this went on for a while the

animals were still miserable but at

least they were okay until the next time

the straws were

drawn finally it was a little rabbit

that Drew the shortest

straw this was horrible news since a

rabbit is hardly enough the arrangement

would have required his entire family to

go as a single package

meal and his family his wife and 10

newly born little babies he was

devastated and yet he had no

choice other animals had sacrific

themselves and their families to the

lion and it would not be fair for him to

hold out

now he needed to gather his family and

head to the Lion's Den

soon it was almost time and the lion

would soon be

hungry but then he decided his babies

and his wife must be protected he would

find a way he said goodbye to his wife

casually Without Really revealing that

he had drawn the Short Straw that

day as he made his way slowly to the

Lion's Den he glanced around everywhere

looking for

inspiration and then he found it right

in the middle of the forest a

well because a perfectly normal

placement for a well is miles and miles

away from the nearest human

settlement the rabbit peaked in and saw

his own Reflection In The Water urea he

said I've got

it the lion was getting hungrier but the

rabbit did stop and celebrate and that

was part of his plan he took the long

way around to the Lion's cave he was

deliberately late but not late enough

that the lion wouldn't just go around

and start killing everyone in

sight he finally reached the Lion's

Den the lion was very very hungry and he

was

raging he asked the rabbit you is that

all they sent after keeping me hungry

for so long this is a violation of our

agreement I'm going to eat you up then

kill everyone in the

forest obviously the lion wasn't

thinking long term if he killed everyone

he'd have no one left to eat the next

day but that was just him being

thoughtless in his

anger the rabbit though completely

frightened of the Lion

managed to say in a very Meek voice

please sir I'll

explain we animals had chosen a dozen of

the plumpest rabbits for your dinner we

were hopping Along on our way here and

we would have reached much earlier but

then we ran into the other

Lion Wait what asked the lion there is

no other lion this is my

Forest that's exactly what he said

continued the rabbit he caught all of us

we begged and pleaded with him to let us

go as we were promised to

you he didn't

listen at least when he was eating the

other 11 rabbits one by one finally and

maybe because he had had enough rabbit

for one night he let me go he ordered me

to come to you as a message of

sorts the lion who was already in a foul

mood thanks to his hunger now roared

with outrage who was this upstart who

dared to enter his forest and intercept

his meal

service he commanded the rabbit to take

him to the other lion right

away and the rabbit took the lion to the

other Li's Castle as he called it which

was actually just the

well he approached slowly and said look

in the castle you'll see the

lion the lion did

and was surprised to see a mean and

scary lion looking back at

him obviously he had never seen his own

reflection

before the lion roared but the other

lion roared right back he could see the

other lion roar and the well echoed the

roar very annoyed and angry the lion

pounced on this

newcomer only to

discover what

water and that the well was deep so

there was no way he could get out he

screamed and roared all he could but

there was no way out he

drowned the news spread quickly and

everyone was delighted to be rid of the

line they hailed the rabbit as their

hero and lived happily ever

after our Second Story is also set in a

forest and also involves a lion and a

rabbit

the rabbit having had a big lunch

decided to take a nap under the oak

tree because wouldn't that be a

perfectly normal thing for rabbits to do

in a forest surrounded by predators of

all

kinds he was sleeping soundly when

suddenly something hit him on the

head instead of bothering to look around

he came to the only reasonable

conclusion possible surely

the sky was breaking and pieces were

falling on him oh no he ran as fast as

he could just a panic reaction given he

couldn't really do anything

else he did one other thing though he

shouted to everyone around him the sky

is

falling the first few that saw the

rabbit had the exact reaction he did

they themselves panicked and ran and

spread the message

soon deers rabbits foxes jackles all

kinds of birds even the elephants were

running in all

directions and then they heard a loud

roar it was the lion their King who had

just been Disturbed out of his

Siesta what's the matter he

said all animals spoke at

once the sky is falling we are all going

to be crushed oh what do we do

two lions aren't good at science as a

rule remember the last

story but even this lion knew how wrong

that

sounded how do you know it's falling he

asked when everyone started shouting all

at once he roared again until there was

Silence You elephant he said how do you

know the sky was falling did you see

something the elephant replied I heard

it from the deer I didn't actually see

it

the deer hadn't seen anything either he

had heard it from the fox who heard it

from someone

else and ultimately everything pointed

to the

rabbit yes said the rabbit I saw it the

sky is falling on our heads a piece of

the sky hit me on the

head all right said the lion show me the

place where that

happened when the rabbit pointed to his

forehead the lion

clarified I meant the geographical

location where this event took

place the rabbit was afraid but couldn't

refuse a direct order from his King the

lion carried the rabbit on his back and

they swiftly reach the oak

tree when the rabbit pointed out the

exact spot where he'd been sleeping and

then seeing the Little Acorn right next

to that spot the lion surmised what had

happened

silly rabbit it wasn't a piece of the

sky it was just an

acorn imagine if it had been a meteorite

the rabbit would have been

right the first story is from the

panchatantra and the second one is from

the jatak

tales the punch Tantra is a collection

of stories that was more accessible to

the common person at a time when other

texts were more exclusive and reserved

for the Eli lead

classes the jatak tales were a series of

stories by the Buddha they were all tiny

stories that conveyed simple

messages the jatak tales appealed to the

masses because of the simple way they

conveyed a message in the second story's

case it was simply that we should be

careful whom we follow and basically be

ready to challenge assertions when

necessary this story probably served as

the inspiration for the children's tale

chicken lien or Chicken Little and many

more adaptations into other

cultures that's it for this week the

character of the week is

dura Durga is a warrior goddess she's an

avatar of Shakti which literally means

energy and also of Parvati who was the

partner of Shiva the Destroyer Dura was

born after my dad messed up yep if you

haven't heard the earlier episodes

Brahma the Creator is my dad and he's

also particularly easy to please worship

him and he gives people whatever they

want so when the Buffaloe headed demon

king called mahishasur prayed to Brahma

to make him Immortal Brahma immediately

obliged There is almost always a

loophole there was one this time as well

mahishasur asked that no man or God

should be able to defeat him yep man he

didn't say person and he didn't exclude

goddesses when the gods failed to stop

mahishasur's reign of terror they

couldn't so they got together and

created Dura a warrior goddess she had

either eight or 10 hands with a

different weapon in each and she was

sitting on either a tiger or a lion she

was happy to help she promptly defeated

mahishasura there's a festival in her

honor called the durap Puja which

literally means worshiping

Dura next week we'll cover the first of

the Bikram and Bethal stories you'll

find out how a Bethal which is a kind of

a vampire like creature can give you

life lessons using brain teasers and

you'll learn why it's better to eat

fruit as soon as you receive it and not

pile it away

somewhere the character next week is a

real historical King not a mythological

one this King stood up to one of the

greatest conquerors of all time and that

one act of defiance earned him

everyone's respect including the

conquerors since I'm several thousands

of years old old naturally my memory may

be imperfect at times so if you see any

errors in my podcast please Point them

out to me if you have any questions

comments or suggestions please leave a

comment or a review on the site it's SFI

podcast.com the site is also linked in

the show notes and the Twitter handle is

@ SFI

podcast the music is from purple

planet.com that's purple planet.com I'd

like to thank my family and friends

there are far too many to call out

individually everyone has shown

incredible support for this podcast and

I'm very grateful for

that I'd also like to thank all of you

listeners for all the feedback I've been

getting it really helps improve the show

thank you very much for that see you

next

[Music]

week

oh