#vitarka

[koerperlich]

Buddha statue China, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) Qingbai ware, height 37cm

Sitting in padmasana with his right hand in vitarka mudra and his left hand in gyan mudra

[flamsinger]

June Patreon rewards

https://www.patreon.com/Flam

[carminavulcana]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Bhallaladeva has an unhealthy obsession for his imprisoned brother. Is it perhaps something else? Why is he forced to wonder about his darkest desires while grieving the birth of a stillborn daughter?

I stare at the wounds I gave him yesterday.

His tired, unfocused eyes are at the level of my feet. Is he scared that I will kick him in the flank again?

I wish he would look up. I want him to look at me. I want him to see how much I need him… how much I have always needed him.

But like a defiant but beaten dog, he only looks down. I can practically see the gears turning in his brain. He is steeling up his fortress against my assault. He is preparing to go to that place in his mind where my switches and chains can’t cut him even as I bleed his flesh with each stroke.

“Baahu,” I disturb the uncomfortable silence between us. “I want to talk to you.”

A big thanks to @mayavanavihariniharini and @heyifinallyhaveablog  for exploring this chain of thought and for allowing me to explore it in greater detail in the Silences and Insanities universe. @parlegee since you said you want to read where else I take the Silences and Insanities universe. @avani008 for the story we became friends over. This is not your gift though. I am working on that and I will have it posted super soon. 

This is also my second fic entry for the Baahubali summertime challenge 4, Vitarka. This is a first-person POV which I have never written before. Also, this is from Bhalla’s POV– which I have never worked with before. 

@teambaahubali @teammahishmati

[teambaahubali]

Challenge Four: Vitarka

You guys have excelled in every challenge so far! So it seems only fair that this fortnight should be dedicated to the question of “why?” (or “Why not?”) and make you ponder new questions!

Fic: This week, write something you’ve never done before! Whether that’s from the POV of a character (or object) you’ve never explored, or in a format (epistolary, in fake social media posts, in present or future tense, etc) is up to you—what’s important is that you think outside your box.

Art: The film series is full of contrasts and comparisons, whether in character actions, costumes, or dialogue! This week your task is to create a graphic or gifset that explores some of these parallels or reverse parallels, of whatever sort you choose.

Meta: Create a DVD commentary (however long or short) about any fic, or excerpt of a fic, that you wrote! Basically, this should, like a directors’ commentary on a DVD, basically include your thoughts when writing it, maybe subtle points you were trying to make, or any bad jokes you feel like making at the time ;)

Fandom: Both teams will get an automatic Fandom point --like the first challenge--as long as you get the following into the mod by July 10 at the very latest:

     1) a list of ten  fic prompts that you would like to see the other team answer (these can be as tricky as you want, but not impossible, and the mod requests the right to reject any she feels are too difficult to write; no requests for graphic violence/sex/character death/etc [these can be included in a fic, if clearly marked, but cannot be made compulsory]; each prompt should be 20 words or shorter.)

      2) a list of ten art prompts that you would like to see the other team create, with the same requirements as those above.

[carminavulcana]

Meta- Silences and Insanities DVD Commentary

Written for Silences and Insanities 

Related works are in the Broken Unbroken Series

@teambaahubali @teammahishmati

Hi all, 

So I don’t actually know how DVD commentaries work but I am going to give it at shot here. 

This was my second story for the Baahubali fandom and I wrote it as an extra gift for the Baahubali Birthday Exchange 2018. Since I found out about it only 3 days before the submission deadline, I powered through it on a combination of rum-cola, Trader Joe’s heat-and-eat three-cheese ravioli, and an amazingly motivating background score in the form of Gordon Ramsey dropping f-bombs all over the meat counter in Hell’s Kitchen season 3. 

It also helped that I was home alone with only one of our two dogs and both the guinea pigs. I didn’t have to bother about making dinner, doing the dishes, or generally being a civilized human outside of work. That’s how I was able to produce 17,000 words in two days. 

As far as the idea goes, it came from one of @parlegee‘s prompts. She wanted to see Amarendra in captivity while Mahendra and Devasena managed to get away. Of course, me being a sucker for angst, I literally took her prompt to its limit... and I was a bit afraid of doing that because I was very new to this very tiny and close-knit fandom. I didn’t want to accidentally write something that would automatically turn me into the fandom-weirdo-with-the-creepy-ideas. (Continue reading under the cut)

But at the same time, I was way more comfortable writing this than I would have been writing something canon-compliant; especially pertaining to the captivity period. Now this is no secret but I will say it again, I really do enjoy writing in the Silences and Insanities universe-- because a) Amarendra doesn’t die and there is always hope when the hero is alive and b) I can explore the deep, dark end of what such a long imprisonment would truly mean-- without having to abuse the female character. 

I should probably explain this. I am extremely uncomfortable with reading, writing, watching, or even discussing the abuse or suffering of women characters. I have had a stable and happy life but I also know something about being a victim of men who don’t understand the word ‘no.’ I guess, that is why I’d rather see and write a male character in this sort of a vulnerable position than a female. Though admittedly, Vaidehi in this universe, is an exception to that. 

Also, exploring Amarendra’s weaknesses, what might break him down, what he might be like underneath that warrior’s exterior; was important to me. A good man who is unstoppable on the battlefield and a perfect ten with the ladies AND a feminist is... just too good to be true... so much so that while I would love such a man as my husband, I can’t have him because-- gasp!-- he doesn’t exist. 

How could I make someone like him real without *actually* killing him?

Simple. I made him bleed. I made him weep. I made him shiver with cold and hunger and loneliness. 

Don’t get me wrong. Writing this story was hard on me. I constantly felt horrible and guilty for putting him through a fate that no one deserves. But I also constantly reminded myself that if anyone could come out of it intact (or somewhat intact), it would be him. 

I also tried to deal with a few other things in this story. Katappa deserved better than the hand he was dealt in the original films. In my mind, the S&I ‘verse is slightly kinder to him in the sense, Baahubali isn’t dead and Katappa can occasionally come and assuage his guilt by bringing him food and medicine. In the same vein, Bhalla’s arc is a little bit different. 

He is darker, more conflicted, more splintered because he is unable to find peace even after destroying his hated brother completely. When he had Devasena at his mercy, he didn’t seem to particularly want her. Even the movies imply that instead of actively hurting her, he tormented her with neglect and constant exposure to the elements-- partially because she wasn’t the true target of his anger. And he knew that deep inside even if he couldn’t ever let that secret out. His true target was always Baahubali and even in death, he wanted him to hurt at the sorry state of the wife he left behind. 

In the S&I universe, he does not have to pretend; not this way at least. He has Baahubali at his mercy. Why then, does peace not come? Why then, does no amount of active torture and abuse give him the kind of satisfaction he needs? Why is the respite only temporary?

@mayavanavihariniharini and @heyifinallyhaveablog have touched upon Bhalla’s obsessive love for his brother that may have had sexual undertones. And that could be the key to unlocking Bhalla’s behavior in canon and in this AU. Truth be told, even I had thought that Bhalla came across as a sexual sadist (the way he mutilated Amarendra’s corpse with such relish! ugh!) and someone who was afraid of acknowledging the object of his darkest fantasies. 

After all, this was still the 9th or 10th century CE. With toxic masculinity very much a part of the so-called warrior persona, did he question his worth as a man because of how he felt about his brother; another accomplished warrior who was perhaps better than himself? 

And could he dominate someone who mother would crown king over him? Would he be able to do so even in his dreams? 

Apparently not. 

I don't believe he was clear about most of this himself. And I intend to explore his mind in the S&I ‘verse in greater detail through a fic. 

Anyway, moving on. 

Another reason for the way this story turned out, was my desire to see Mahendra grow up with Devasena around. I was really, really annoyed by his creepy, stalking behavior with Avanthika and I do believe that had he been raised primarily by Devasena, he would have been more like his father than the aimless, tactless, brainless vagabond we were subjected to. Pacha Bottesi (and the bits just before it) was the worst. The. Worst. 

All in all, this piece of writing was complicated to say the least. But I am pretty proud of it. I am in the process of writing its sequel and I keep expanding this universe with one-shots set in it. 

Sometimes I worry that I am annoying peeps in the fandom with this sort of writing.

 But I can’t help it! 

This ‘verse is very real to me and I cannot imagine abandoning it when so much of it remains to be fleshed out. Besides, the happily-ever-after hasn’t yet happened. And it is going to be a while before near-complete healing and acceptance come to AmarSena. So, if you are up for it, stay with me. I will be glad and I will make it worth your while. 

[carminavulcana]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Sivagami has a complicated relationship with her son. Or her not-son?

I have never written fic-as-poetry. Here is my first humble attempt. This is also my first fic entry for the Baahubali Summertime Challenge #4. 

@teambaahubali @teammahishmati

[carminavulcana]

Meta-- DVD commentary for ‘Fit For a King’

The story is available here

Summary- Amarendra Baahubali realized the depth of Mahishmati's diversity only during his pre-coronation tour with Katappa. What did he learn in Seemanalai? And how did he end up celebrating Eid at a stranger's house?

Excerpt- 

“Er… well, since you are going to be the king in a few short weeks, you should know everything there is to know about your kingdom. Time to learn about Seelamanai I guess.”

Baahubali and Katappa made their way to the central market of the city.

On their way, they saw the subtle differences in the language spoken by the people and the manner in which they presented and conducted themselves. Almost all the women wore colorful silk scarves on their heads and around their necks. They wore no makeup other than kohl around their eyes. But like all the other women in the other parts of Mahishmati, they wore gold bangles around their wrists, nose rings, anklets, and even toe rings. Their hands were decorated with henna paintings. The men too lined their eyes with kohl, but their clothing was plainer and made out of cotton. They also wore no jewelry.

This story is very different from my other creations. And it would have never seen been written had I not been lazy throughout the month preceding Eid-Ul-Fitr. 

You see, originally, I had planned to write a Ramadan story set in the modern AU. I even discussed it with @iwearplaids and got super excited about plot points and such. But then real life happened and before I knew it, I was preparing sewaiyan for my Urdu teacher on the eve of Eid. 

Baahubali is full of Hindu iconography; so much so that some people even see it as a “Hindu” movie, completely ignoring the fact that Rajamouli is an atheist and Hindu mythology (not necessarily Hindu philosophy) influenced the these films. 

But regardless, representation of non-Hindu cultures and peoples is practically nil-- unless you count Aslam Khan, the Kalakeya people, and a blink-and-miss scene where Baahu and Katappa are clearly in a large Muslim settlement. 

It was this last scene that inspired me to write a canon-compliant Eid story instead of whipping up something in the modern AU.

I mean, these two did visit all corners of the kingdom and one of those corners had a large population of Muslims. It was only logical that I wanted to know how much time they actually spent there and what all they learned during their stay. 

Baahubali + Katappa + fluffy novel experience = yay! They do other things besides fighting and romancing women (or aiding said romance!)

Fit For a King (FFAK) is all about Baahubali’s first ever-- and only :(-- Eid celebration with a family of Persian descent who chose Mahishmati as their home almost two generations prior. 

While writing, I tried to be as respectful as possible and drew from my own knowledge and experiences as a non-Muslim to write from the perspective of Baahu and Katappa. I have always enjoyed Eid greatly with my Muslim friends and neighbors. My grandparents fondly remember the Eid festivities of Jammu and Kashmir before the political upheavals of the 90s. And every year as kids, my sis and I accompanied the older children of our area to the local Eid fete that was held near my mom’s clinic. 

The second reason for writing this story was to cheer myself up and to challenge myself a bit. I am a little too comfortable with angst and that’s not the best thing for an aspiring novelist. Of course, as always, I was able to insert a coda with my signature style but by and large, the story turned out to be light and hopeful as I had intended it to be. 

I had expected more people to read it but to my surprise, it hit maybe 16 or 18 reads. It now has 21 hits but that’s probably because I opened it today on two different browsers to prepare the material for this meta. 

FFAK is one of my more unusual pieces. And I like it very much despite its low profile. It is a little over 5,000 words so I am also proud of that because I wrote it in one sitting!

@teambaahubali @teammahishmati

[d4rkromanticism]

#Mudras (gestos con las #manos ✋🏻🤚🏻). Cada #mudra tiene un significado y una connotación específicos👉🏻#Abhaya - No Fear (1) #Vitarka - Teaching (2) #Bhumisparasa - Calling the Earth To Witness the Truth (3) #Dhyana - Meditation (4) #detail from #teaching and #nofear (5 -6) #nofearandblessing (7) #bagan #myanmar🇲🇲 #burma #buddha #temple🙏 (en Old Bagan, Myanmar) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2dczgxDhqd/?igshid=15t0l6uo2dhgf