Tuesday, May 29, 2012

A man whom legend turned into a god !

A few months back my friend chota bada was reading a book named "The Immortals of ..something". I wasn't interested as I am no book lover. So all day he was roaming here and there, but gripped in his hand, remained that book. Well I asked him what's so interesting in the book. He didn't answer, just lent me the book and told me to read it for an hour then he'll come back and grab it again. Well I started reading the book and then when he knocked after an hour I was so busy turning pages that I didn't open the door.

Oh by the way, the book was Shiva Trilogy 1: The Immortals of Meluha written by Amish Tripathi. Well he is an IIM grad so don't expect it to be much of literary value, but it definitely has something in it which made me blog about it. It is a true masterpiece when it comes to concept, logic and philosophy. Everything is so well justified and thrilling that reading it was a journey in itself. Well I am not writing a review .. you can read a good review here.


In simple words it is the story of an ordinary man whom legend turned into a god.

Altough I would like to share few passages from the book :

Ayurvati kept repeating, " Om brahmaye namah. Om Brahmaye namah."
"What happened? Is it serious?" asked a worried Shiva.
Nandi rushed in and noticed Ayurvati on the ground.
"What happened, my lady?" asked a startled Nandi.
Ayurvati just pointed at Shiva's neck. The neck shone an eerie iridescent blue. Nandi collapsed on his knees, " My Lord! You have come! The Neelkanth has come!"
- He has come! [Pg 23]

"But what was the system that Lord Ram set up?" - Shiva
"The system is simple. As we agreed, the best society is when a person's caste is decided only by his abilities and karma. Not by other factor. Lord Ram created a practical system that ensured this. All children that are born in Meluha are compulsorily adopted by the empire. Once the child is born he is then put into the Meluha Gurukul. Every single child receives the benefit of exactly the same education system. So every child, whether born to a brahmin or a Shudra, would get exactly the same treatment at the Gurukul. Thus every child has the same opportunity to succeed. At the age of fifteen, all the children are given a comprehensive examination. The results of this examination decide which varna or caste the child will be allocated to - Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya or Shudra."
- Vikarma, the carriers of Bad Fate [Pg 97]

one of my favourite passages ...

"You know what is the most powerful force in a man's life?"
"It is his intense desire to impress the person he loves most."
"Just out of curiosity, what do you think is the most powerful force in a woman's life?"
"I think the most powerful force in a woman's life is the need to be appreciated, loved and cherished for what she is."
- Love and its Consequences [Pg 153]

and this one reminds me of 300 ...

It took less than an hourbefore the vikarma(carrier of bad fate) brigade was marching out of the camp. The sun was high up in the sky and practically the entire camp was awake, watching the soldiers set out on their mission. Everyone knew the terrible odds the vikarmas were going to face. They knew that it was unlikely that any of these soldiers would be seen alive again. The soldiers, though, did not exhibit the slightest hesitation or hint of fear, as they walked on. The camp stood in silent awe.
Drapaku was at the lead, his handsome face smeared with war paint. On top of his armour, he wore a saffron angvastram. The color worn for the final journey. He didn't expect to return.
- Empire of Evil [Pg 333]

And I think you never pondered over this fact ...

"The destruction of evil? Wouldn't you say that is a very important reason?"
"These people aren't evil. They're just different. Being different isn't evil." 
The Pandit's face broke into his typically enigmatic smile.
"Exactly, you have realised it very quickly, my friend, a lot earlier than the previous Mahadev."
"Lord Rudra?"
"Yes! Lord Rudra."
"But he did destroy evil. He destroyed the Asuras."
"And, who said the Asuras were evil?"
"I read it ..." Shiva stopped mid-sentence.
- The question of Questions [Pg 391]

It is an awesome book worth a read . Hope you will grab your copy soon :)




4 comments:

  1. Copyright infringement.... i shall report :P

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  2. The last excerpt seems to be an elaboration on "All we desire is to be desired".

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  3. yup kapil even I remembered your lines when I read this ..

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