Download or read book The Last Matriarchs of Hastinapura Fall of the Kurus Book II written by Kamesh Ramakrishna and published by Leadstart Publishing Pvt Ltd. This book was released on with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the Bronze Age world of 2000 B.C.E., Hastinapura is a male-governed trading outpost, in the midst of many smaller matriarchies. This novel is the untold story of Hastinapura, narrated through the voices of three women whose desires, hopes and actions drive the dramatic events of the ancient city and introduces the reader to the possibly unfamiliar world of matriarchal power and matrilineal inheritance. Shantanu, the Kuru ruler of Hastinapura, has given his word to his consort Satyavati, that her descendants will rule as Matriarchs. But decades pass without a daughter or grand-daughter being born. Instead, sons inherit, extending the customs of a caravan to create a patrilineal tradition. I have no daughter, becomes Satyavati's lifelong lament and that of Kunti, Matriarch of Bhojpura, as her city collapses. It also echoes in the heart of the blindfolded Gaandhaari, who endures countless agonizing childbirths, hoping for a daughter. But when the girl child finally comes, Gaandhaari’s own position hangs in the balance of destiny. The Last Matriarchs of Hastinapura, Book II of the Fall of the Kurus series, follows the lives of Satyavati, Gaandhaari, and Kunti, as they manoeuvre to ensure that their descendants rule the burgeoning Hastinapura Empire. When compromise fails, partition seems the only solution - Hastinapura for the Kauravas, and Indraprastha for the Pandavas. But, like other partitions before and since, this too provides no permanent solution.
Download or read book The Making of Bhishma Fall of The Kurus written by Kamesh Ramakrishna and published by Platinum Press Incorporated. This book was released on 2019-04 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book I: The Making of Bhishma, portrays the world of Hastinapura as its rulers try to manage the crisis. It explores the impact of this conflict on the life of Devavrata (Bhishma), eldest son of Shantanu, ruler of Hastinapura. His mother had committed suicide since the Kavi Sangha's one-family-one-child policy has required her to sacrifice seven of her children. Subsequently, Devavrata is disinherited so Shantanu can marry Satyavati, who demands the Kavi Sangha policies not apply to her. In a moment of anger, Devavrata vows to remain celibate. On the death of his father, he and Satyavati are compelled to rule as co-Regents for her underage sons - Chitrangada and Vichitravirya. But Devavrata is unable to prevent Chitrangada's murder by the invading Shakas. His subsequent actions to protect the borders of Hastinapura earn him the cognomen Bhishma (The Terrible). A secret love affair with Amba is cut short when she disappears. Vichitravirya dies just before his sons are born and Devavrata once again becomes co-Regent for his nephews, Dhritarashtra and Pandu. He narrates much of this story on his deathbed, as a prisoner of the sons of Pandu; other narrators fill in what he could not have known. At the end of his life, Devavrata muses over all that he gave up and left unmade in his own life while he built the Kuru Empire - an empire over which the Great War was fought.
Download or read book Yuganta written by Irawati Karve and published by Orient Blackswan. This book was released on 2006-07-19 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Irawati Karve studies the humanity of the Mahabharata`s great figures, with all their virtues and their equally numerous faults. Sought out by an inquirer like her, whose view of life is secular, scientific, anthropological in the widest sense, yet appreciative of literary values, social problems of the past and present alike, and human needs and responses in her own time and in antiquity as she identifies them... Seen through her eyes the Mahabharata is more than a work which Hindus look upon as divinely inspired, and venerate. It becomes a record of complex humanity and a mirror to all the faces which we ourselves wear.
Download or read book The Last Kaurava a Novel written by Kamesh Ramakrishna and published by FROG BOOKS. This book was released on 2015-11-18 with total page 534 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "I am Amba." The voice rang in Devavrat's ear like a forgotten melody. ... Ancient memories from lost time veered in and out of focus. The memories came with flooding questions. How could it be Amba? What was she doing, here and now? ...I must see her. He tried to turn. The stub of an arrow, sticking under his left shoulder, made him pause with every move, however slight. Devavrat Bhishma is dying, wounded. He tells Yudhishthira the story of how the Kurus established Hastinapur as a trading outpost on the frontier of Panchnad. The river Sarasvati dried up creating a crisis for Panchnad as cities were abandoned and immigrants poured into Hastinapur looking for safety and support. The Kurus under Devavrat address the crisis with social policy. The success comes at a cost to Devavrat's personal life. Devavrat's narration becomes part of the epic poem of the Great War. The story survives, memorised as oral history by the Kavi Sangha, the guild of bards. A thousand years later, the story is written down by Vyaasa, the head of the Kavi Sangha, with help from many others. "No Indian ever hears the [epics] for the first time ... It requires great courage, therefore to re-imagine [the Great War] as the author has done. He captures the reader's attention from the start, with a sense of theatre, making the characters tangible and even more complex than in the original. ....The book ... conveys the high tension of the immediate." -- S. Anandalakshmy, Ph.D. President Bala Mandir Research Foundation Former Director Lady Irwin College, Delhi.
Download or read book Upon a Burning Throne written by Ashok Banker and published by John Joseph Adams. This book was released on 2019-04 with total page 689 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First of a new epic fantasy series inspired by an ancient Sanskrit epic and Indian mythology, Upon a Burning Throne evokes the expansive world-building and complex twists of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, N.K. Jemisin's Inheritance trilogy, and Ken Liu's The Dandelion Dynasty series.
Download or read book Bhishma an Enigma written by Umesh Kotru, Ashutosh Zutshi and published by Notion Press. This book was released on 2017-12-08 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The pedigree of being a demi-god in his previous life and the scion of the foremost dynasty in the Aryavarta should have ensured a smooth life for Prince Devavrata. But, it was not to be. His upbringing by Goddess Ganga herself and training under the best Gurus of his time could not change his destiny in any way. His struggle to keep his dynasty afloat lasted his entire lifetime. Despite repeated counselling from his mother, Vedvyasa and Vidura, among many others, the feeling of having failed in his primary mission of protecting the Kuru dynasty haunted him even on his bed of arrows. Although he was revered and simultaneously feared as Bhishma, he spent his entire life in a struggle to resolve his internal as well as external turmoil. Like ordinary mortals, it seems that the extensive knowledge of scriptures gained from his guru Maharishi Vasishta did not, in any way, help him in overcoming his miseries. Bhishma would have been known only as a great warrior and someone who resolutely stood by his word, had it not been for the grace of Sri Krishna which brought forth the other facet of his personality of being a Brahmagyani. That enabled him to address all queries of Yudhishthira, lying as he was on the bed of arrows, before his departure from this world.
Download or read book Yudhisthira written by Mallar Chatterjee and published by Readomania. This book was released on with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though the Kuru family survived on Vyasadeva’s seeds, he never belonged to the house. Moreover, being an ascetic, he was even exempted from obligations of the complicated dynamics of human relationships. This armed him with a ruthless dispassion and he could go on telling his stories with stoical detachment, free from any bias and uncontaminated by quintessential human dilemmas. But had any of his characters given his own account of the story, would not that have lent a different dimension to the events seducing ordinary mortals like us to identify, if not compare, our private crises with those of our much celebrated heroes? The Unfallen Pandava is an imaginary autobiography of Yudhishthira, attempting to follow the well-known story of the Mahabharata through his eyes. In the process of narrating the story, he examines his extremely complicated marriage and relationship with brothers turned co-husbands, tries to understand the mysterious personality of his mother in a slightly mother-fixated way, conducts manic and depressive evaluation of his own self and reveals his secret darkness and philosophical confusions with an innate urge to submit to a supreme soul. His own story lacks the material of an epic, rather it becomes like confession of a partisan who, prevailing over other more swashbuckling characters, finally discovers his latent greatness and establishes himself as the symbolic protagonist.
Download or read book Shakuni The Dice of Doom written by Mallar Chatterjee and published by Readomania. This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why did shakuni have to come to Hastinapur? His own gandhara folks believed that he wanted to take revenge against the Kauravas. They, however, knew nothing about shakuni’s disturbing secret and his actual intention. What was shakuni’s real motive? What was the secret he was trying to guard from the world with all his efforts? In Hastinapur, shakuni would get entrapped in an inescapable mesh of the past, the present, and the future. He could have freed himself from the tangle by cracking a particular riddle that he would only be able to solve too late. What was the riddle about? What made him finally realise that he had just been used? This is the untold story of shakti laced with love, desire, envy, Malice, and vengeance. This is a heart-rending chronicle of some grievously wounded people you can never hate, even if you fail to love or pity them.
Download or read book Shikhandini Warrior Princess of the Mahabharata written by Ashwini Shenoy and published by One Point Six Technology Pvt Ltd. This book was released on 2019-10-14 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Centuries have passed since the Great War of Kurukshetra, but her name is still uttered in hushed whispers – eunuch, hijra, neither man nor woman... But was this all there was to Shikhandini, Princess of Panchala? Was this her only identity? The firstborn of King Drupada, Shikhandini was trained to be a warrior from early childhood. She became a Rathi, and then an Athirathi, a warrior of unmatched valour and skill, who singlehandedly defeated the hundred Kaurava brothers in battle. All her life she strove to fulfil one goal – to slay the Maharathi of Hasthinapur, in a trans-generational act of vengeance. But was this her final destiny? At the Battle of Kurukshetra, when the Pandava brothers seem to have lost all hope and are facing defeat, it is Shikhandini who joins them and turns the battle in their favour. If not for her, history would have been written differently. But what was the price she paid? How far did she go in order to prove herself and accomplish her goal? What did she sacrifice along the way? Was she just a pawn in the game between the Kurus? Or was she a true hero, conveniently forgotten because she was not born a man? In this retelling of epochal events, Shikhandini’s transformation from woman to man, based on ancient medical science, is what makes this story both riveting and real in its validity, human intensity, driven purpose and ultimate sacrifice. In this new dawn, when the third gender is finally gaining acceptance and identity, it is perhaps time Shikhandini’s story was retold in all its tragic glory.
Download or read book Krishna The Ultimate Idol written by Dr Girish P.Jakhotiya and published by Rajkamal Prakashan. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Karna The Unsung Hero of the Mahabharata written by Umesh Kotru and published by One Point Six Technology Pvt Ltd. This book was released on 2015-03-01 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Then, the exquisitely handsome body of Karna of generous acts, who should have been worthy of perpetual happiness, let go of that refulgent head with the kind of extreme reluctance evinced by a wealthy person in leaving his own prosperous home, or by a saintly one in forsaking virtuous company. [The Mahabharata, Karna-Parva; 91.53-54] In these lines of evocative pathos, the Mahabharata pays its ultimate tribute to Karna, who has hardly a rival in world literature to match his credentials as a uniquely nuanced heroes' hero – towering above Hector in righteous valour, above Arjuna in generosity, and above all else in conscientious attachment to the principles of noblesse oblige. This is the intriguing story of a hero who, despite being born to royalty was, like the Biblical Moses, cast away by his mother. Brought up lovingly by a lowly charioteer and his wife, his whole life was one great struggle against cruel destiny, and against all the odds placed in his way by the inequities of his time. In the process, he blazed a new trail of glory, emerging as the adorable exemplar of purushakaara (manly effort), with tremendous achievements both as a man and also as a warrior. Yet society never gave him his due, despite being as upright as Yudhishthira, as strong as Bhima, as skilful as Arjuna, as handsome as Nakula and as intelligent as Sahadeva. Rebuffed and insulted by society at every step, he developed some flaws engendered by a defiant spirit and nurtured by association with the evil designs of Duryodhana, his benefactor prince. But those very contrarieties seem to enhance and enliven the dramatic appeal of his character as one of the brightest stars of the Mahabharata's star cast. Written in an engagingly flowing style and with an imaginative transcreation of the epic storyline, Karna: the Unsung Hero of the Mahabharata should strike a responsive chord in the minds, specifically of today's Mahabharata aficionados and generally of all lovers of exalted human drama.
Download or read book Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Puranas written by Swami Parmeshwaranand and published by Sarup & Sons. This book was released on 2001 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (Sarup)
Download or read book Mandodari written by Manini J Anandani and published by Penguin Random House India Private Limited. This book was released on 2018-07-17 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Borrowing from Sanghadasa's Jaina version of the Ramayana, Mandodari-one of the least known characters of the Hindu epic-is finally given a voice. Considered to be one of the most beautiful apsaras, she was married off to the mighty Ravana, the legendary king of Lanka. In her story, she speaks about her struggles after her marriage, her insecurities and her pious nature that challenged her husband's growing aspirations. She narrates the rise of Ravana's power and the blunders he made that ultimately caused the downfall of Lanka. Despite her husband's faults, Mandodari loved him and advised him to follow the path of righteousness. Ravana's defeat in a thirteen-day war turned him into a villain. But what if he were the real hero on his side of the war? What if his downfall was a result of scheming to push him out of power? This is Mandodari's story.
Download or read book The Sanskrit Hero written by Kevin McGrath and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the hand of the hero Karna this book offers a model for 'heroic religion', having to a large extent shaped not only the Indic epics, but also cognate Indo-European epics, such as Homer's Iliad.
Download or read book Curse as a Motif in the Mah bh rata written by P. V. Ramankutty and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Karna written by Kevin Missal and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 477 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Iron Age of India… around 900 B.C.E. Born in the arms of the Ganga, Vasu grew up in the raging province of Anga. His life shaped by a fate that failed to be just—neglected by his own, stripped of his birthright—he was raised to be lost in an abyss of desires and disappointment. Cursed by his guru, hurt by the only woman he loved, ostracised from society for being the son of a suta. With his only armour—hope—he ventured on an unforgettable journey. Alone. This is Vasu’s tale of survival, of endurance, of abiding courage in the face of all adversities. And eventually, of blossoming into the greatest warrior of all time… KARNA. In an ultimate battle against his archenemy—the insidious, dishonourable and all-powerful, Jarasandha, for a title he knew he deserved. From a sutaputr to a leader of the people, this is a saga of betrayal, lost love, and glory. This is the story of the King of Anga.
Download or read book Bargaining with a Rising India written by Amrita Narlikar and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2014-02 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offer a fascinating new insight into the India's negotiation at the international level through the lens of the classical Sanskrit text, the Mahabharata.
