Ramayana - The Game of Life : Shattered Dreams
Rating: 3.5/5
Title: Ramayana - The Game of Life : Shattered Dreams
Author: Shubha Vilas
Genre: History, Indian, Mythology
Pages: 402
Publisher: JAICO
ISBN-13: 9788184955316
Reading and reviewing books are exciting enough for a bookworm like me but when you receive a book from the Blogadda book review team, imagine the delirium! Ramayana - The Game of Life : Shattered Dreams is the second book in the series, the first one being Ramayana - The Game of Life : Rise of the Sun Prince. I haven't read the first one but nevertheless it doesn't impair the continuity and allows the reader to enjoy it like an individual book.
The story begins as Dasaratha, the king of Ayodhya, finds himself in midst of nightmares and is restless. He is eager to make Rama, the eldest of his sons, his successor for the throne. Soon, the festivities begin but in the meantime Dasaratha's favourite queen hatches a plot to snatch the glory away from him and make her son, Bharatha, king instead. A promise made by Dasaratha to his wife Kaikeyi in a moment of pure ecstasy, has cost him very dearly; such that the consequences would change the course of history.
Rama, the dutiful son and brother, cannot even remotely imagine to hurt his father and thus agrees to the condition of being banished from his home, the city of Ayodhya, for 14 years. The father who stood proudly besides his beloved son was now ashamed of what his callous deed had brought upon his kingdom. When Rama prepares to leave for exile, his wife Sita, follows him saying that Ayodhya will be an equivalent to a forest anyway without him. Lakshmana, Rama's brother, also pleads to accompany them. The book ends with the trio, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana heading towards the Dandakarnaya forest leaving their home behind.
So many of us claim to know the Ramayana but personally, after reading this book I realized that there are so many tiny details that we have accepted at face value. Sometimes we never ask questions or aren't curious to find out what the real reason behind a ritual/observance is. Despite that, they are followed even today. This book throws light on so many such small but relevant questions that we have obviously overlooked. For example, how did Dasaratha get his name? Why did Bharatha refuse to take up the throne? Believe me, there is so much more to what we already know. It made me wonder if I really do know anything about Indian mythology and culture after all. So many mysteries buried under thousands of years of ignorance and neglect are yet to be revealed.
The style of writing is precise and interesting, especially for today's readers. The way this epic has been presented is truly appreciable. I must say, it is a challenge to keep the readers hooked on to one book, that too a series. The author, Shubha Vilas, has exceeded expectations beautifully.
We all know that Lord Rama was known for his nobleness, fair judgement and was a template as to how a son, brother and king should live. Maybe we can't follow all that he did but there are some guidelines in the book which we can apply to our lives to enhance it. Along the story, there are footnotes that correspond to events that take place that
Title: Ramayana - The Game of Life : Shattered Dreams
Author: Shubha Vilas
Genre: History, Indian, Mythology
Pages: 402
Publisher: JAICO
ISBN-13: 9788184955316
Reading and reviewing books are exciting enough for a bookworm like me but when you receive a book from the Blogadda book review team, imagine the delirium! Ramayana - The Game of Life : Shattered Dreams is the second book in the series, the first one being Ramayana - The Game of Life : Rise of the Sun Prince. I haven't read the first one but nevertheless it doesn't impair the continuity and allows the reader to enjoy it like an individual book.
The story begins as Dasaratha, the king of Ayodhya, finds himself in midst of nightmares and is restless. He is eager to make Rama, the eldest of his sons, his successor for the throne. Soon, the festivities begin but in the meantime Dasaratha's favourite queen hatches a plot to snatch the glory away from him and make her son, Bharatha, king instead. A promise made by Dasaratha to his wife Kaikeyi in a moment of pure ecstasy, has cost him very dearly; such that the consequences would change the course of history.
Rama, the dutiful son and brother, cannot even remotely imagine to hurt his father and thus agrees to the condition of being banished from his home, the city of Ayodhya, for 14 years. The father who stood proudly besides his beloved son was now ashamed of what his callous deed had brought upon his kingdom. When Rama prepares to leave for exile, his wife Sita, follows him saying that Ayodhya will be an equivalent to a forest anyway without him. Lakshmana, Rama's brother, also pleads to accompany them. The book ends with the trio, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana heading towards the Dandakarnaya forest leaving their home behind.
So many of us claim to know the Ramayana but personally, after reading this book I realized that there are so many tiny details that we have accepted at face value. Sometimes we never ask questions or aren't curious to find out what the real reason behind a ritual/observance is. Despite that, they are followed even today. This book throws light on so many such small but relevant questions that we have obviously overlooked. For example, how did Dasaratha get his name? Why did Bharatha refuse to take up the throne? Believe me, there is so much more to what we already know. It made me wonder if I really do know anything about Indian mythology and culture after all. So many mysteries buried under thousands of years of ignorance and neglect are yet to be revealed.
The style of writing is precise and interesting, especially for today's readers. The way this epic has been presented is truly appreciable. I must say, it is a challenge to keep the readers hooked on to one book, that too a series. The author, Shubha Vilas, has exceeded expectations beautifully.
We all know that Lord Rama was known for his nobleness, fair judgement and was a template as to how a son, brother and king should live. Maybe we can't follow all that he did but there are some guidelines in the book which we can apply to our lives to enhance it. Along the story, there are footnotes that correspond to events that take place that
Highly recommended!
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