“Arjuna saw the entire universe, divided in many ways, but standing as [all in] One [and One in all] in the body of Krishna, the God of gods.”
Another one of my musing on a book that i read in recent times.Thanks to Leadstart publishing house, I had the opportunity to read a book by another one of their Indian authors.
This time, it's a book written by Anuja Chandramouli and aptly titled as 'Arjuna' as the entire book revolves around the life of this mighty warrior who belonged to the Pandava clan. The book is an easy read and flows around the life and times of the Pandavas and the role of charismatic Arjuna during the battle of Kurukshetra. As a reader who's familiar with most of the stories around Mahabharata, there were no major surprises while reading the book. It essentially tries to glorify Arjuna's persona and character. To be fair to the author, it is a good attempt to capture his' larger than life' image through this book. I once again connected with the Mahabharata stories that I had heard from my mother during my childhood days.So thanks Anuja!. You brought back some good
memories
While i was going through some of the stories mentioned by Anuja, I was wondering about those readers who weren't really familiar with this great epic of 'Mahabharata' and whether they would be able to relate to the story telling style adapted by the author. I found it fast paced and sometimes lacking in terms of giving a detailed understanding of the story. My thinking was in the lines that someone who isn't familiar with the epic may not be able to connect the pieces together. There are many mythological stories that are linked to some past life and have to be intertwined with the present such as that of Uloopi, one of Arjuna's many wives. .
I think Arjuna's story gets muddled in the midst of many other powerful men who are also part of this epic. When i read the book, I honestly didn't feel a connection with Arjuna. Rather, I just got a feeling of reading some biography that's written about him. Sigh!!! I couldn't connect deeply with his romantic or aggressive nature. To me, he came across as another warrior who wanted to prove his mettle via his muscles.The book does try to highlight his grey areas such as his bloated ego and pride. It does aptly capture his need for a wise mentor to keep his brawl under control and guide him in the right direction. To Arjuna, it was Krishna’s words that were absolute. He would follow Krishna’s words even at the expense of other principles or promises that he held dear. Therefore he had the grace and favour of Krishna’s guidance throughout his life.
On the other hand, some feelings were aroused in me while i read about Lord Krishna who came across as the master manipulator in the epic. Though he holds a huge place in my heart. I was chastising him for having behaved unfairly with Ekalavya or even Karna due to his unwavering affection for Arjuna. Oh yeah..my logical thinking outside the book did cite that Krishna's actions are justifed since support should always be extended for those actions that benefit the greater lot in society. Karna forgot that the call of the divine towards fulfilling his duty was more important than loyalty towards a selfish and immoral friend in the form of Duryodhana.
In short, the book is well written but it's meant for those who already have a good understanding on the stories from the Mahabharata. But my sincere thought is that it will arouse the curiosity of those who are not familiar with this great epic and inspire them to go looking for a book which gives them more detailed version of the stories.
A lingering thought is that maybe Leadstart Publishing House would publish a new modern version of Mahabharata for readers :) Awaiting the same!!!
“Conquer your enemies and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. All these [warriors] have already been destroyed by Me. You are only an instrument, O Arjuna.”
Lord Krishna-'Mahabharata'
This time, it's a book written by Anuja Chandramouli and aptly titled as 'Arjuna' as the entire book revolves around the life of this mighty warrior who belonged to the Pandava clan. The book is an easy read and flows around the life and times of the Pandavas and the role of charismatic Arjuna during the battle of Kurukshetra. As a reader who's familiar with most of the stories around Mahabharata, there were no major surprises while reading the book. It essentially tries to glorify Arjuna's persona and character. To be fair to the author, it is a good attempt to capture his' larger than life' image through this book. I once again connected with the Mahabharata stories that I had heard from my mother during my childhood days.So thanks Anuja!. You brought back some good
memoriesWhile i was going through some of the stories mentioned by Anuja, I was wondering about those readers who weren't really familiar with this great epic of 'Mahabharata' and whether they would be able to relate to the story telling style adapted by the author. I found it fast paced and sometimes lacking in terms of giving a detailed understanding of the story. My thinking was in the lines that someone who isn't familiar with the epic may not be able to connect the pieces together. There are many mythological stories that are linked to some past life and have to be intertwined with the present such as that of Uloopi, one of Arjuna's many wives. .
I think Arjuna's story gets muddled in the midst of many other powerful men who are also part of this epic. When i read the book, I honestly didn't feel a connection with Arjuna. Rather, I just got a feeling of reading some biography that's written about him. Sigh!!! I couldn't connect deeply with his romantic or aggressive nature. To me, he came across as another warrior who wanted to prove his mettle via his muscles.The book does try to highlight his grey areas such as his bloated ego and pride. It does aptly capture his need for a wise mentor to keep his brawl under control and guide him in the right direction. To Arjuna, it was Krishna’s words that were absolute. He would follow Krishna’s words even at the expense of other principles or promises that he held dear. Therefore he had the grace and favour of Krishna’s guidance throughout his life.
On the other hand, some feelings were aroused in me while i read about Lord Krishna who came across as the master manipulator in the epic. Though he holds a huge place in my heart. I was chastising him for having behaved unfairly with Ekalavya or even Karna due to his unwavering affection for Arjuna. Oh yeah..my logical thinking outside the book did cite that Krishna's actions are justifed since support should always be extended for those actions that benefit the greater lot in society. Karna forgot that the call of the divine towards fulfilling his duty was more important than loyalty towards a selfish and immoral friend in the form of Duryodhana.
In short, the book is well written but it's meant for those who already have a good understanding on the stories from the Mahabharata. But my sincere thought is that it will arouse the curiosity of those who are not familiar with this great epic and inspire them to go looking for a book which gives them more detailed version of the stories.
A lingering thought is that maybe Leadstart Publishing House would publish a new modern version of Mahabharata for readers :) Awaiting the same!!!
“Conquer your enemies and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. All these [warriors] have already been destroyed by Me. You are only an instrument, O Arjuna.”
Lord Krishna-'Mahabharata'
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