Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Comment Wall

File:The word संस्कृत (Sanskrit) in Sanskrit.jpg
Sanskrit written in Sanskrit: Wikipedia Commons

Hello VagaBuddies!
Excited to have you all review my blog: Sanskrit in the Indian Epics

12 comments:

  1. Hello Daniel.
    I think it is a really cool idea to bring attention to Sanskrit words and give a definition of some of them at the beginning of your story. Language is a huge part of the culture of a place and I think this will give you the opportunity to show that really well. I also found the back and forth Bhagiratha does between the two gods funny to read (maybe that was not the intention but it reminded me of the back and forth my siblings and I do with my parents).
    I do wonder why you didn't include Bhagiratha's name especially since you mention thinking about it. You can keep the majority of the words you introduce as general ones but then have one with each story that I more directly related to the story. You could even use it as a hint as to what the story is about to hook the reader. Like with explaining Bhagiratha's name the reader may wonder why they are called that. I also wonder, is the way he prays to the two gods different? Or is it the same? I know the time spans were different but what about the form of worship/prayer? You could think about adding some more details to vividly paint a picture in the reader's mind.

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  2. Hi Daniel,
    I think the origin story of the Ganges river is a great topic to write on! You're very write. The story is culturally and religiously important to the people of India. Of course the holiest river in India means a lot to the people. The gods often use people on Earth as their pawns to conduct their bidding when they run into problems. This story about Bhagiratha was no exception haha.
    The language of Indian Epics are loaded with meaning, context, and history, and translating that is difficult for a reader.
    I am glad you defined the technical words so that the reader could translate the language much easier. This very helpful to the audiences to lessen the burden of learning the meaning of words. This allows the reader to focus more on the content of you r story which is what you want. I think this story is a great start to your portfolio!

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  3. Hi Daniel! This story project initially struck me as a regular layout, but it definitely was not. I love the lay out of this project! My favorite part was how you have a section where you break down words. This is unique, but also very educational and helpful. I would add it again! I also love the mantra section as well. The youtube video is a great touch! As far as the story and author's note goes, I think it was all really awesome. You expanded a lot on the author's not which was helpful and informative. I love how you inserted some current cultural significance as well as real life lessons. It was interesting and captivating to read. This is a great start and I am excited to see where you go next! Well done

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  4. Hello Daniel!
    I liked the look of your site when I joined in and I like the feel of your background. It was a could feel and like your color scheme. I jumped straight into your first story “Ganga” and scrolled through. I was very interested to see how everything developed, especially as you added in some definitions from Sanskrit and even a video! As I read, I noticed you had an affinity of playing with word placement and I thought it was a unique choice of style in your writing. You kept your ideas and plot points short and to the point – meaning that you didn’t stumble on specificity.
    As I moved on to the second Yudhisthira I noticed you intertwined much more dialogue into the story, which made for an interesting turn of style. I wrote in a similar style where I didn’t expressly state who was talking and I thought it was cool to go back and forth on the pattern of who’s speaking. Overall, I really enjoy how you’ve elaborated on your stories and if I had to throw an idea forth, I would wonder if you could mess around a bit of the formatting a bit. It’s something I had work on quite a bit in my own story and I think you could potentially add some power by experimenting with how the dialogue is laid out. Thanks for the read!

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  5. Hey Daniel! So happy I finally was able to go through your site! First thing is first. I loved how you took the time to get the Sanskrit of the main words for us. I was looking through them and i felt that I was staring at some ancient language that you so easily and efficiently explained to me. Great addition. Second the layout of your site flowed so well between your stories, the definitions, the mantras and the videos you left. You have gone the extra mile and it has definitely paid off.

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  6. Hi Daniel,
    I just wanted to start by saying you did a great job with this entry for your project.I am glad that you chose to write about this specific story from the Ramayana. I still am confused to this day about why Rama was not able or unwilling to take back Sita after she was rescued at first.Your rendition of the story is great because it is super detailed while still being an understandable read. The first thing that came to mind to describe it is when you ask that one person in class for notes who is always really detailed. The Ramayana at times was tough for me to read and seemed sort of wordy. I much prefer the style and word choices that you have in this story. Another thing that is cool specifically to your blog is the sanskrit words. I have not seen another blog so far list the definition and pronunciation guide for some of the words. Many times while reading the original text I would have to google terms. Awesome job!

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  7. Hello Daniel,

    Just like a lot of people, I really liked how you took the time to give the definition of words and the correct pronunciation. You do not see that very often, but it helped tremendously. I am the type of person who, when they see a word they do not understand or how to pronounce it throws me off. Also making it hard for me to give full attention to the story. You were able to keep my attention because I was able to use your information down below. Great job! The videos were also a great thing to add. Your first story that you went with was a great choice, and it is an important subject. When it comes to covering your authors note, I find that you did an awesome job at that as well. I liked seeing the original and then where you made your own personal add-ons. Keep it up!

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  8. Hey, Daniel

    First of all - I really like your site design (it kind of resembled mine!!) I picked it for my own story because of how smooth the site works and how adding a large image in the back really ties it together. That, alongside your image choice really set the tone and image for your story. I felt it captivating the way you described your setting and story with your background image. It feels like I am directly there when I am a part of your story. I also liked how you described certain words you were using. I think I am going to try to incorporate this method of storytelling more. I usually stick to simple word usage, but I have realized I could be a little more descriptive. If I feel like I am being confusing with my storytelling, I could describe terms as you did! I like that idea. Great job.

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  9. Hey Daniel,
    I have always been interested in the different languages of all the cultures in the world, especially ancient ones. I think it is really cool that you are doing your project about Sanskrit because I have always been fascinated by it. It really blows my mind how humans can come up with entire languages that use different elaborate rules and characters. At first I was confused as to how you were incorporating Sanskrit into your stories. I took the title of your storybook too seriously and was looking for a story that went something like the hero using Sanskrit to save the day somehow! I eventually scrolled down far enough to see the Sanskrit dictionary you made at the bottom! I think it is very creative and the mantras that you include are also very cool. With a project like this, it might be beneficial to include an intro that explains how you will be highlighting important Sanskrit phrases from each story.

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  10. Hi Daniel (the Vagabond),
    We meet again, but this time virtually, so I can read your fantabulous portfolio. I really enjoyed the first story about the Ganges River. Also, I thought it was super cool that you put sanskrit words as well as the mantras at the end of your page. It certainly gives the Indian epics vibe and lets me learn more things! Also, your site looks super cool with the sanskrit logo and the shades of white and green. Did you put green because of how very I guess earthy your photos are? I don't know if that made sense... Lastly, to comment on your writing, your style of writing is much more sophisticated than mine. I love all the dependent phrases you add in your sentences to describe your characters. The way you describe their actions allow me to really visualize the scene. I wonder what it would sound like you if you were to read your stories to us!
    I hope you are doing well and writing during this time! You are a really good writer!

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  11. Hi Daniel,
    The information that you have on Sanskrit and the interpretations aspects are incredibly interesting. The stories you chose were so diverse that you were able to cover more of the Sanskrit aspects and I enjoyed that. Your storybook was very easy to follow, and I like how you had all of your sections arranged so it was easy to tell them apart. Your paragraphs were all kept very short and I could not decide if that made it easier of if there were too many and some could be attached together. It did make sense for some because they were different parts of the stories but since they all had roughly three or more sentences, they were not too small. Overall, I really enjoyed your storybook, it looks nice and clean, the sections are defined, and I like that each story had the same format of story, then Sanskrit, then information, and a video. This storybook looks great!

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