Book review - Shiva Trilogy - By Amish Tripathi

By the Holy Lake …

An afterthought on the Shiva Trilogy

The three-part series – The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of Vayuputras - resembles pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle, where if a single piece is removed, the picture cannot be completed. We cannot read them in any other order or just pick any one in isolation. 

It makes it amply evident why Lord Shiva is also known as Bholenath, thanks to his sheer simplicity, humbleness and modesty, though he represents immense power and intelligence, enough to make an entire nation quiver.

The Trilogy is bound by Lord Shiva’s pursuit for the eventual truth, identifying and correcting the imbalance between Good and Evil, and how he takes on the role of the Neelkanth, by deploying his power, through persuasion, persistence, strategic intelligence, or warfare, all with a single-minded commitment to free the world from Evil.

It took me over 18 months to complete reading this series, thanks to my hectic schedule involving work, home management and running behind an overenergetic toddler. However, I would always come back to where I left, and never felt as if I lost the thread. The lucidity of language, the gripping plot that binds the three series with a single thread, vivid descriptions of places such as Devagiri, Panchvati, Pariha, or Kashi, the architecture and engineering prowess displayed in buildings and structures in those generations, the shrewdness and strategic marvel shown by leaders … leaves you wanting for more.

Woman power is dominant through the series – Sati’s character shows her as a caring daughter of Emperor Daksha and Queen Veerini, the ever-loving and inseparable consort of Shiva, and doting mother of Ganesha and Kartik, but her final skirmish with foreign assassins leaves you devoid of words of praise. Even other women characters - Ayurvati, Kali, Kanakhala or Krittika, each have a powerful role to play and a strong message to give out.

Loyalty is put to test when the Meluhan general Parvateshwar is torn between his love for the Neelkanth and his commitment towards Meluha, and the Neelkanth gives him the full freedom of choice. The prime minister, Kanakhala or Prince Bhagirath are other such examples, who refuse to bow down to political pressure or threats from their superiors.  Nandi and Veerbhadra, of course, remained ever loyal to their friend Shiva.

Weak leadership most often culminates in short-sighted decisions, choice of wrong people and total havoc, be it in matters of a society, an organisation, or the nation as a whole. Emperor Daksha is one such example, whose lack of focus, clarity of thought or total sense of judgement, proves detrimental to interests of his own people.

Glimpses of certain events stay with you forever, instances where Lord Shiva challenges the Vikarma law, the stage-managed death of Brahaspati, Sati rescuing a village from a pack of ferocious lions, emergence of the truth of Parshurama, dialogues between the Vasudev Pandits and Shiva, in his tryst for truth at various critical junctures, or the final choice made by Kanakhala. The dutiful, brave and valorous sons, Ganesh and Kartik, never needed to be told how to negotiate a precarious situation.

Roles of various kings, Chenardhwaj, Athitighva, or Mitra, and the Chief Vasudev, Gopal, were carefully interwoven into the binding narrative. Lord Bhrigu, the Sapt Rishi Uttaradhikari, was the ultimate mastermind in the scheme of affairs.

Kudos to Amish, for his efforts in unravelling the Shiva Trilogy to the world, his eye for detail, magnificent descriptions, soft characterisations, and above all, an unswerving faith in Lord Shiva, without which he could not have accomplished this mission.

Om Namah Shivaya !!!

My ten favourite quotes from the Shiva Trilogy

If the entire society was conscious of its duties, nobody would need to fight for their individual rights.

The biggest carrier of energy that we are physically in touch with is Mother Earth herself…

Most people prefer to wait for the arrival of the Messiah than to solve their own problems

Make the main objective of the enemy difficult, and they will lose the will to fight.

Civilisation is fragile; all it takes is few decades of chaos for us to forget humanity and turn into animals.

Transactions are threads that when woven together make up a society and its culture, and in case of a person, they weave together his character.

The masculine way of life is ‘life by laws,’ defined by the Code of Truth, Duty and Honour, while the feminine is ‘life by probabilities,’ which is based on Code of Passion, Beauty and Freedom. Laws are unchangeable and must be followed rigidly in the Masculine way, however, the Feminine laws are more malleable.

Truth doesn’t have to be liked, it only has to be spoken. The truth may hurt you but will set you free.

There is a god in every single one of us. And there is evil in every single one of us. The true battle between good and evil is fought within.

Ati sarvatra varjayet. Excess of anything is bad and should be avoided; what is good for some may end up becoming bad for others.

G for Generation; G for Gap

Priorities and preferences change with each generation, based on the past experiences, current challenges and future prospects. What ultimately binds us together is the thought, culture, mindset and values that each generation carries forward as a legacy and passes on from its antecedents to its descendants.

Born in 1980, I find myself on the cusp of the X and Y generations, though I belong to the X generation. This generation would rather walk for 15 minutes to work, rather than spend Rs 15 on an autorickshaw ride. In contrast, those born between 1981 and 2000, known as the millennials, would shell out Rs 20 and take an auto to the railway station, rather than waste 20 minutes walking it down.

Well, this difference is just the tip of the ice berg. Our forefathers (those born before 1945) lived their lives, wading through tough economic conditions, lacking job security and thus, remained loyal to their organisations.  Look around and you will find so many of your relatives, having served and retired from the same company, which was their first employer. This generation aka the Builders, which witnessed the World War II, placed lot of emphasis on family bonding and marital ties.

No wonder that they were proponents of the joint family system and divorces were mostly unheard off those days. Bank accounts were the only means of saving those days, and fixed deposit receipts were guarded more than bank locker keys. Properties were mostly purchased post retirement, using the superannuation amount, and bequeathed to the next generation. Of course, their descendants will be among the super-rich today, considering the appreciation in the property rates and the large archetypal houses in olden times.

Moving to our parents’ generation (the Baby Boomers, who entered the world between 1946 and 1964), having seen the aftermath of war, they decided it was important to work hard, manage an average standard of living on frugal, shoe-string budgets, but ensure they had enough to get their sons educated and daughters married when the time came. This generation woke up to the need for insurance and unit-linked plans, term plans etc, which helped them accumulate a large kitty over several years, and earmark funds for specific goals. Over the course of their lives, they managed to inculcate in their children a strong sense of financial discipline, and the need to excel in academics.

We, the X Generation, are more materialistic, after having seen the earlier generations battle rough economic patches, job-cuts, and emergencies. So, we believe in the institution of family and marriage, team work and work-life balance. Sizes of families have drastically reduced, with people restricting the number of children to just 2-3, as against the past logic of ‘more-the-merrier’. This generation also got the opportunity to dabble in stocks and make the moolah and try their luck with mutual funds.

Moving ahead, walked in the Millennials, who saw the Internet Boom and the new guru called Google. A generation that exudes self-reliance, and confidence, individuals are comfortable with the EMI culture, thanks to the banks who have thrown open their coffers, and doling out loans and credit cards. They have the house, the car, vacations abroad, and a lavish lifestyle, but also believe in saving through systematic plans.

Children born post 2000 are the Z generation, which has witnessed tremendous advancement in science and technology, and carry a different set of values when it comes to socialising and lifestyle. Brandishing the latest mobile phone, they update their status on Facebook, to let the world know of their whereabouts, and plan their weekends with friends, over a Whatsapp chat group. They believe in multitasking, working from 9 to 5 at a corporate office and attending lectures for a three-year part-time MBA at a B-school.

What’s most striking in this entire journey is the changing face of women in family life, academic and career progression and their overall contribution. While the generation of builders may have had a very small number of its women folk actually stepping out of the threshold to earn a pay packet, the Baby Boomers have women taking up jobs at schools, banks or government offices, attracted by assured employment and pension benefits. However, these women reared their daughters to be far more career-focused, encouraging them to enter fields such as medicine and engineering, and create a strong imprint in the nation’s workforce. Our generation has practically seen the scope for gender stereotyping in the professional world diminishing at a rapid pace, with no career now strongly earmarked for men or women. Today we have women as CEOs of companies, pilots, doctors, nuclear scientists, astronauts, and the list is exhaustive.

Even if we were to look at choice of careers for both boys and girls, especially for those born post 2000, the options are myriad, with fewer arched eye brows, and lesser number of tongues wagging, when a girl decides to wear the pants in her house and allows her husband to manage the house, or when a boy returns home with a degree from an overseas university and decides to become a Master Chef at a five-star restaurant, or a stand-up comedian. The moot point is the current generation is least affected by the syndrome called ‘what-will-people-say’ or as we understand it better, ‘log kya kahenge’. They believe in being their own person as self-satisfaction takes precedence over social acceptance.

To each, his own… to conclude, learning from mistakes made by your past generations, need not and must not deter you from setting foot on newer soil; it should rather make you more resilient, prepared and determined to raise the bar for your children and grandchildren.