Who doesn’t know the popular Hindu deity Lord Krishna? He is the 8th Avatar of Lord Vishnu aka the creator of the universe, the source of all that exists! Krishna is adored in many different forms, for some he is who steals butter (makkhan chor) who started the formation of human pyramid to break the now famous dahi-handi, he is known for his Raas Leela with Radha and Gopis, He who is the Charioteer of Arjun in Mahabharta, and the narrator of Bhagavat Geeta. So, what is it that Author Devdutt Pattanaik wants to decode with his new book Shaym an Illustrated retelling of Bhagavata…. Let’s find out…
The book makes a strong case for ‘Jo Hota Hai Ache Ke Liye Hota Hai’ Every action, good or bad, has an equal and opposite reaction. Even though Krishna sided the Pandavas, to establish dharma that the mighty should protect the weak, poor and meek, he faced Gandhari’s (mother of Kauravas) anger, who felt Krishna could have averted the war!
Pattanaik’s book is a treasure of many such anecdotes. It is by far a thoroughly researched work about Krishna. It puts forth several references, insights and trivia in the grey boxes below the main story that invokes your imagination about the broader mythology associated with the main story. Kuch references Harivamsa se hain (that speaks of his pastoral foster family), toh Kuch Vishnu Purana (that refers to him as Vishnu’s avatar), There are a few mentions of Shrimad Bhagavata Purana and the Geet Govind of Jayadeva (that introduces us elaborately to Radha). Parallels from Greek mythology and references from Jain mythology builds up a good back story for the main story. Also, how Krishna is a purna purush (Perfect Man) and that he sees good in everything is well narrated in incidents of him accepting female attire as a punishment and also in an exchange of clothes with Radha! Something that challenges the many fake masculinity images of contemporary Indian men. There are various points at which Pattnaik also makes a note of how ancient India had no inhibitions in accepting a dark skin hero, which is so unlike the modern-day obsession about fairer complexions.
However, despite its various highs, I was disappointed in the area where Krishna as a narrator recites the Bhagavat Geeta to Arjuna. Having picked up the book thinking the it could also simplify the different chapters of the Bhagavat Geeta, the book fails to rise beyond the central message of Geeta- that is your Karma is more important than your emotional connect. Similarly, a few of you, who have grown up watching Shri Krishna on television or read about it in other books, may find the chapters dealing with his pranks during his infant to cowherd known. Also, until you warm up to the recurring boxes that puts various mythologies in perspective, you may find the break of flow from the main story a bit confusing and overwhelming to hold on to. Reference to various new names and their relationships to Krishna is hard to keep up with. But we can hardly, blame the writer for that. In fact, he has to be applauded for collating it all together in one book.
In a nutshell, the book will help you understand Krishna, before his birth, his life on earth and his life after death. It will help you accept things as they are and find good behind every thing happening to you. The true purpose is achieved when the writer succeeds in giving each one of us a distinct ‘meaning’ within the infinite possibilities that life offers us. As the writer himself describes, ‘Within Infinite myth is an eternal truth, who sees it all? Varuna has but a thousand eyes, Indra a hundred, you and I only two.’
The book makes a strong case for ‘Jo Hota Hai Ache Ke Liye Hota Hai’ Every action, good or bad, has an equal and opposite reaction. Even though Krishna sided the Pandavas, to establish dharma that the mighty should protect the weak, poor and meek, he faced Gandhari’s (mother of Kauravas) anger, who felt Krishna could have averted the war!
Pattanaik’s book is a treasure of many such anecdotes. It is by far a thoroughly researched work about Krishna. It puts forth several references, insights and trivia in the grey boxes below the main story that invokes your imagination about the broader mythology associated with the main story. Kuch references Harivamsa se hain (that speaks of his pastoral foster family), toh Kuch Vishnu Purana (that refers to him as Vishnu’s avatar), There are a few mentions of Shrimad Bhagavata Purana and the Geet Govind of Jayadeva (that introduces us elaborately to Radha). Parallels from Greek mythology and references from Jain mythology builds up a good back story for the main story. Also, how Krishna is a purna purush (Perfect Man) and that he sees good in everything is well narrated in incidents of him accepting female attire as a punishment and also in an exchange of clothes with Radha! Something that challenges the many fake masculinity images of contemporary Indian men. There are various points at which Pattnaik also makes a note of how ancient India had no inhibitions in accepting a dark skin hero, which is so unlike the modern-day obsession about fairer complexions.
In a nutshell, the book will help you understand Krishna, before his birth, his life on earth and his life after death. It will help you accept things as they are and find good behind every thing happening to you. The true purpose is achieved when the writer succeeds in giving each one of us a distinct ‘meaning’ within the infinite possibilities that life offers us. As the writer himself describes, ‘Within Infinite myth is an eternal truth, who sees it all? Varuna has but a thousand eyes, Indra a hundred, you and I only two.’
