Kurukshetra

The Aryavarta Chronicles #3

by Krishna Udayasankar

War is upon the realm, but is Aryavarta prepared for what will follow? As a bitter struggle begins to gain control of the divided empire that was once Aryavarta, Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa of the Firstborn and the Secret Keeper of the Firewrights can only watch as their own blood, their kin, savage and kill on the fields of Kurukshetra. Restraint and reason have deserted the rulers who once protected the land and they manipulate, scheme and kill with abandon - for victory is all that matters. At the heart of the storm stands Govinda Shauri, driven by fickle allies and failed kings, to the very brink of darkness. Reforging the forsaken realm in the fire of his apocalyptic wrath, he is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice of them all for the sake of one last hope: that humanity will rise, that there will be revolution. The spectacular, entrancing final episode of The Aryavarta Chronicles recreates the world of the Mahabharata with formidable power and imagination.

Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, India

436 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2014

Reviews

[Vishnu Chevli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Due to the high number of review requests we receive every month, we rarely get a chance to read one book twice. Even in such times, Govinda was one of the books which got a place in a twice-read shelf. Frankly speaking, I had lost hope of reading further books in Aryavarta Chronicles as it was discontinued. But re-launch of the same by Penguin publishers has given me hope. I quickly re-read the first part (latest edition) and grabbed the 3rd part. I will come back to the second part as and when I get my hands on the same.

Aryavarta Chronicles is a retelling of the epic Mahabharata where author Krishna Udayasankaran has brought the concept of Firewright & Firstborn. In the first part, we came to know the hidden agenda of Govinda Shauri behind the destruction of Firewright guilds throughout India even though he being Firewright, but in the climax of the first part, he was asked to stay out of Bharatvarsha by Queen Draupadi. I am not sure what exactly happened in the second part, but the third was more concentrated on the Kurukshetra war (I know it is obvious from the title) what I actually mean was the alliance, peace proposals, war preparation & actual war and revelation of Govinda's true motive.

I don't want to reveal plot so let me take you through my observations
1) This story portrays Suyodhana as a righteous and capable ruler. The weakness of his character was his priorities when it comes to decision making. While Yudhisthira is shown as an arrogant ruler but his capability of taking a stand was faster
2) I have read many versions of Mahabharata, but none of them has shown Yudhisthira like Krishna. In Aryavarta Chronicles Yudhisthira was the most confused, meanest, self-proclaimed righteous, arrogant character.
3) Shikhandin is not shown as eunuch instead shown as an able warrior, a shrewd strategist and a loyal friend
4) The action and morality are clubbed and can be seen hand in hand at places.
5) I have read the Kali series by Anand Neelkathan, so I found many similarities between both series.
6) In all the books I have read, Karna was always shown with more of a better person than wrongdoers. But here things are different.
7) Lengthy description and discussion among characters in cryptic morality have increased my reading time. It could have been simpler but I think then I would not be Krishna's work.

My advice - if you are an open-minded person then only take this book. Else you may not enjoy it.

I will give 4.5 out of 5 to this masterpiece.


Detailed review link https://chevusread.blogspot.com/2020/...

[RustyJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kurukshetra, the third and final installment in the Aryavarta Chronicles Trilogy by Krishna Udayasankar. To put it in one word, it is marvelous. However, as with anything, there is a ‘but’.
Now, there are a bunch of things that work in favour of the book and for these, credit must be given to the author. Remember, this is her debut outing in fiction.
First, the book assumes intelligence on part of the reader. A lot of it. On top of it, familiarity with the Mahabharata is not necessary, though it would help. Putting these two together is a noteworthy feat in itself. So, no two plus two equals four kind of spoon feeding here. The book assumes you can figure that out for yourself and rightly so. So, as you are reading the book, your mind races to keep pace with the plot and the unfolding of events, which happen at a quick pace.
That brings me to the next point – the pace of the plot. It’s racy and hurtles through, and you as a reader are expected to keep pace. If you don’t, you can quickly fall off the train and not know where you landed. That pace was very visible in the first installment – Govinda, seemed to flag a bit in the second, Kaurava and the first hundred or so pages on the last, Kurukshetra. All that moves aside once the battle of Kurukshetra starts and things start getting interesting again.
The next thing that works – the battle scenes of the Kurukshetra. They are extremely well wrought, like a work of art. The scenes literally unfold in front of your eyes and I was amazed that the author could fill over 200 pages with just the 18 days of battle, not once letting interest flag. The description of the astras, battle formations, duels are beautifully explained, sans superhuman strength of the warriors and shorn of miracles. The mastery of the warriors is simply a matter of skill and training and the destruction caused by the weapons, simply a mastery over the science of metal working and chemistry. The battle scenes themselves are straight out of a well choreographed action movie – capturing the valour, fear, tumult, screams and shrieks of war. And the emotions of war.
The highlight of the book is the way the emotions and motives of the protagonists are captured – they are very human, with very human motives, desires and fears. That, and their ideals. Sometimes misplaced, other times misunderstood. So, neither Syoddhan (Duryodhana) a clear villain nor Dharma (Yudhishthir) the clearly wronged. There are shades of grey to all characters. And white, and black and blue and green and pink. So it is that the author weaves a rainbow of layers to the protagonists characters.
But then, here is where I have a complaint. While the characters are well wrought, there is a subtle inconsistency across the series. Govinda Shauri (Krishna) is initially shown as scheming and manipulative initially but by the end, ends up as nearly divine. The transition is not exactly gradual, though it doesn’t jar. But sitting back, one cannot but notice the inconsistency. It almost seems that the author was overwhelmed by the divinity of the Krishna who uttered the Gita while at the same time, reconciles him to the scheming Krishna who suggested that Bhima attack Duryodhana’s thigh (though this episode is narrated differently). There is also a very complex relationship that Govinda has with Panchali (Draupadi) that vacillates between the platonic, to the divine-romance, to Panchali simply being a pawn in the hands of Govinda. At times, we are not sure if it is Govinda who is the pawn in the hands of Panchali.
The same happens with other characters too. The first two books give the impression that Sanjaya is one of the key ringmasters in the plot, but in the third book, he is totally absent, making an unconvincing cameo appearance towards the end. If there is one character who remains consistent throughout, it is Shikhandin and the importance accorded to him was a pleasant departure – to weave a story that has this much reviled, possibly androgynous character as Govinda’s bosom buddy and a key player in the events that shape Aryavarta, and a chest thumping masculine warrior matching Partha (Arjuna) and Ashwathama in skill, takes conviction and skill. The author carries this beautifully. He remains true to his knitting throughout the plot.
The plot itself has enough twists and turns to put a jalebi to shame. That is where the author credits the reader with intelligence. This is not a dumbed down version of the Mahabharata. It is neither a retelling nor a reinterpretation. It is a re-imagination and how! The basic plot is of an old rivalry between the Firstborn (led by the sage Dwaipayana, who dons the honorific title of Vyasa) and the Firewrights (led by Ghora Angirasa). The Firstborn are given to protect the Divine Order, which in essence sets rules, systems of social and political hierarchy supposedly to maintain order in society. The Firewrights are essentially scientists who have harnessed the secrets of nature. These secrets were initially used for the benefit of humanity, such as implements of agriculture etc., but soon, turned into instruments of war. Naturally, the kings of the realm outdo each other to procure these weapons of destruction that can give them power. Greed, fear and insecurities set in. To ensure that such great power does not fall into hands that do not know restraint, there is a grand cleansing of the Firewrights (called the Great Scourge) that decimates the Firewrights and their knowledge. Bhishma Devavrata (Bhishma) is at the forefront leading the cleansing, with able assistance from Dwaipayana Vyasa. Some firewrights survive and carry on their agenda in secret. Govinda is one of them. Much plots, sub-plots and twists and turns later, it boils down to a grand confrontation between the armies and allies of Syoddhan (striving to protect the Divine Order) and the armies and allies of Dharma (who is but an instrument in the hands of Govinda, striving to tear down the Divine Order to establish, in simple terms, a true democracy). That is the essence of the plot.
The plot only has a vague resemblance to the original Mahabharata – the key events from the Mahabharata are taken and re-imagined with the plot of the Firstborn and Firewrights woven around it. With this structure, the author explains with sound reason and rationale many of the events of the Mahabharata that otherwise seem beyond reason. And the explanations fit in extremely well, convincingly.
Coming back to the third book – Kurukshetra, it can be divided into two parts. One part is the action packed page turner of the 18 days of war. The other part is the exposition of the Firstborn-Firewright philosophy, the essence of the Gita and to some extent, the meaning of existence itself. The first part – Kurukshetra war - nestles cozily in the middle of the book. The first 100 or so pages set out the conflicts and the principles of the two warring groups, as well as their motives and insecurities. This makes the book flag in those parts. The last 100 or so pages, with some pages in between, are actually the true achievement of the book. In this, the author captures the essence of the Gita, the divinity of Krishna (remember, in this book he is NOT a god, just a human being, very much mortal), dvaita-advaita, maya, atman and narayana. This part may not appeal to many indeed, many may not even be able to appreciate this, but the book scores a ‘out of the park hit’ with this.
That also makes the book subject to comparisons, primarily with the immensely popular Meluha series by Amish Tripathi and Anand Neelakantan’s Ajaya/Asura. In all these, as well as the Aryavarta series, the overall plot is the same. While in Meluha it was Suryavanshis versus Chandravanshis where neither are clearly black/white or good/evil, it was the class struggle for equality in Ajaya (where there is a clear good-evil). So it is with Aryavarta Chronicles – Firstborn versus Firewright, where neither is clearly good or evil. But the comparison ends there.
The language is good – though simple, the prose has a poetic quality to it. A minor niggle is on the proofreading – there are several spelling errors, missed out words, grammatical errors – hopefully these will be taken care of in the next print run.
The book packs in a lot – many key characters, many events and incidents, many twists turns plots and sub plots, many philosophies. To pack in so much into three paperbacks, retaining the page turner quality for a good part is no mean achievement. Looking back, that could also be the book’s undoing because in this age of ‘ready to consume’ in all walks of life where the attention span is not more than 144 characters or a 10 second ad spot, not too many may appreciate a book that is not a ‘open-read-forget’ kind of metro read. But if you are not looking for adolescent romances (nothing against them) or rich girl-poor boy plots (nothing against them either), go for this series. But only if you are willing to ride a whirlwind and enjoy being tossed and turned around!

[Arun Divakar · Rating 1 out of 5]

18 days was what it took to redraw the entire landscape of ancient India according to Mahabharata. A never before seen danse macabre was played out on the killing fields of Kurukshetra and the world was never the same again. These 18 days have inspired countless artists and writers over the ages and provided fuel for their creative fires. In the discourse of the Gita before the war, Krishna tells Arjuna : Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. 18 days later you realize how much of foresight Krishna would had while telling the Pandava prince these words.

Reflect a bit on the Kurukshetra war and look beyond the grandiloquent images, action and larger-than-life characters while beneath all this lies a war fought in the name of three of the most sought after things : power, real estate and a woman. A series of incidents centred around these three escalated to finally result in a cataclysmic war that left the survivors with ashes in their mouth. In the third and concluding part of her series, Krishna Udayasankar attempts her hand at recreating the Kurukshetra war and its aftermath. To me this was amusing in a lesser measure and frustrating in greater part.

The best parts first : Udayasankar’s Aryavarta chronicles capture the characters of the Mahabharata with a great degree of complexity. Over the last three books she has laid down the groundwork for the characters and their intentions which all comes to a finale here. While it does not capture all of the wide range of emotions these characters carry, these books do not have a blue eyed gaze at the Pandavas, the Kauravas or the other supporting characters. They are portrayed as men and women of flesh and blood and not as gods and demi-gods. The third book is also relatively the best of the series in terms of the language employed. Udayasankar writes in language which is neither too archaic nor too hip although she has the habit of overwriting at certain points which does more harm than good. This is all that I could think of.

If there is one thing that pissed me off about this series, then it is the rambling. In the midst of action, the characters begin talking about moral, philosophical and strategic nuances which can sometimes extend for three or more pages at a stretch. The funny thing is that once they come back from the conversation, the earlier thread is nowhere to be seen. Long and pointless conversations on the aspects of right and wrong only served to confuse me further and served no other purpose. Next, in a book that is about the granddaddy of all epic wars the reader expects a heavy focus on how the war was fought. What I got instead was the author skipping over a lot of topics, conveniently explaining off others and in general only serving a half plate of the offering. For instance, the first seven days of the war with Bhishma as the general are only hinted at until the time Shikhandi faces off with the aging patriarch and the times of Drona’s generalship also fares no better in terms of the storytelling. The death of some of the key characters are only in the background, the most notable being the deaths of Drona and Dushasana. You only hear that they died and Udayasankar declines from giving us too many details of how it happened. Then there is also the deus ex machina : firewright technology. The weapons employed during the war would have made a mere mortal wonder if they were of divine origin with the effects they produced. This throws a challenge at the storyteller on how they want to explain the weapons. Udayasankar takes the easier way out and has a wishy-washy logic way by saying "because…firewright technology !" which in no way is satisfactory.

Also, while the characters are complex enough their outlook on life and their mind-sets speak differently. None of the characters here have a mind-set that stems from the Vedic period. They all talk and think like individuals of the 20th century. The external appearances of the characters are all in place but their core doesn’t lie in the right place or the right time. Also, the Mahabharata has a lot of focus on three women : Kunti, Panchali and Gandhari who act as the loci from which the entire forest of stories spread out. In Udayasankar’s narrative there is only Draupadi and the others are mere shadows.

As a series, I feel dissatisfied with this one. The insanely long ramblings and the manifold diversions have driven me to the wall here.

Not recommended.

[Sahitya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m mostly torn between a 3.5 or a 4, so I’ll round up.

Finally the saga comes to an end. I have to preface this review by saying that I’m not as much in awe of this finale as I was of the first book, but it’s still a good ending. It’s just that maybe I was expecting too much from it, so it left me a bit dissatisfied.

The writing of the author continues to be enchanting and thrilling, keeping me hooked to the story, never wanting to let go. Obviously as per the title of the finale, I was very interested to know how the author would describe the Kurukshetra war and while whatever was shown was magnificent and gritty and gory, I was also disappointed by what was left out. It’s not easy to condense eighteen days of this epic battle into one part of the book, but I didn’t particularly like that there was nothing of the first seven days at all. Some other important duels or deaths also happened off page, which was pretty shocking to me. In the original Mahabharata, the warriors on both sides fight with daivi astras, and while the point of this whole trilogy was to strip the epic of its divinity and attribute all the advancements to science and technology - I think it became a bit difficult to stick to that premise during the war sequences and some of the astras used felt unrealistic. And even though I can’t pinpoint exactly, there were some threads and plot points that were left open without any resolution and I didn’t expect that. But on the whole, I think the author did a formidable job bringing the war to life, and especially showing us the devastation and carnage it resulted in.

As this is the book where we would get some version of the Bhagavad Gita, I was very eagerly waiting for those chapters. I will not say I understood everything, but it was short and very compelling to hear the words of Govinda to Partha. There are also many many discussions about destiny, reason and compassion, and how these three are just different ways in which the world can run. However, the number of times these discussions took place was a lot in this book, and I can’t say it was all easy to grasp. I still completely bought into Govinda’s complete belief in humanity and its incessant capacity to use knowledge to prosper; and also his surety that a system that fails to protect those its meant to, deserves to be destroyed. But what left me a bit disconcerted towards the end was that I couldn’t really fathom if Govinda’s dream became a reality. And maybe that’s the main source of dissatisfaction with this finale.

The characters continue to be the strength of this series. It is so fascinating to see all these legendary people in a frail human light, with all their flaws. Especially Dharma, whose belief in destiny never wavered despite innumerable horrors happening around him, or the fact that it was the common people who were fighting for their rights on his side. At the end, I truly came to question if he deserved to be on the throne, even if it was as a representative of the people. Panchali and Govinda continue to be amazing and formidable beings they are, fighting the system and wanting a better future for humanity. Almost everything else played out as expected, but I can’t help but appreciate the author for giving Shikhandin such an important piece in this story. After everything that happened, I think he was the most admirable for me - the brave and consummate warrior who fought for the common people and what was right. Even though I was very upset during Abhimanyu’s horrifying death scene, it was actually the final scene between the closest friends Shikhandin and Asvatthama that brought tears to my eyes. I will always remember this trilogy for letting to me get to know these unlikely and forgotten heroes.

Towards the end, I have to say that reading this trilogy has been an experience that I won’t soon forget. It has wowed me and impressed me and brought tears and joy and so much more. It is not without its flaws, but a Mahabharata reimagining is an ambitious task and I commend the author for attempting it and doing a good job. As I’ve been saying since I began this journey, if you are okay with a riveting reimagination of the epic which digresses a lot from the canon but still manages to capture its core essence, then you should definitely give this trilogy a try.

[Somnath Sengupta · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a series which began with a lot of potential, Krishna Udayasankar’s “Aryabarta Chronicles” ended with a whimper. Udayasankar still remains a good writer but her confusion regarding the direction in which she wanted her retelling to head ultimately spoiled the second and third book. “Kurukshetra”, as the name suggests, largely focuses on the war. Almost half the book is dedicated to the war while the other focuses on the politics and turmoil which led to it.

Predictably, Udayasankar builds up the character of Abhimanyu, playing the emotional card to highlight his tragic death. Some of the best parts about this series have always come when Udayasankar uses her own re-interpretation to remove the divine traits of a character. Her reinterpretation of Ghatotkacha and rakshashas was enjoyable though not entirely unexpected.

Udayasankar doesn’t quite have the skills to make her battle scenes intriguing and the author herself seems to be aware about this. The first few chapters of the battle seem hurried and she even skips first few days of the war, fast forwarding to the seventh day. It is unfair to expect a detailed account of the war in a 400 page book but when the primary subject matter deals with Kurukshetra, it wouldn’t have hurt to dedicate a few more chapters to the initial stages of the war. Her discussion about battle strategies remains vague, at best, and there’s too much of the shadow of the TV serial when she talks about arrows cancelling out each other. “Firewrights” which was a clever inclusion in the series so far has now become her ultimate fallback tactic. Whenever Udayasankar doesn’t want to go deep into the mechanism of a weapon, she conveniently uses the “but it is Firewright technology” theory . Credit where it’s due, Udayasankar does exceed herself in some of the Kurukshetra scenes especially the one with slaying of Jayadrath or Ghatotkacha episode.

And then there are the philosophical discourses. They slow down the narrative and often seem completely out of place. I had to skip a few paras to avoid the same thing being said over and over again. And why must there always be a long motivational monologue from the primary character before the battle starts? Udayasankar also tries to insert an extra twist in Govinda’s tale in the last 2 chapters but it feels as if these two chapters belong to a different story and doesn’t gel with the ending.

If I compare this with the Meluha series, Krishna Udayasankar is a significantly better writer than Amish Tripathy (I know, that’s not saying much). But Amish was clear in his mind about his plot and how it will end. Udayasankar on the other hand fails to keep the reader hooked and muddles up her plot.

[Radhika Taneja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kurukshetra is an eye opening version of the Mahabharata as a whole. Amazingly imagerized,this narrative differentiates between the ideal way of life and our true lifestyle. It tells us how god created us with a purpose and how we are exploiting our own selves by doubting our skills and the goodness of the people around us. We refuse to see the potential within us and blame the cause of our failure over the ones who truly seek to gleam through our success stories. It shows us that divinity could be no better than blasphemy if the inner self is not endured.
The author very realistically describes each and every incident taking place during the great war showing that the character who has been evil to the world ever since was not actually bad at heart but situations made him such and wronged his character. There was such a charm in the author's writing which literally left me open mouthed. She brought life to the epic. She gave a scientific explanation to each and every aspect of the war which I could not even imagine had a reason in beyond the fantasies; as a mere example the astra weapons used.
All in all I am completely awe struck by the author's writings especially the Aryavarta Chronicles which inspire us to bring an optimistic change in our lifestyle and have an opinion on social issues because our perspective matters a lot because it is a way to explore the inner self.

[Vishal Kale · Rating 1 out of 5]

The entire play between characters, the presentation of the women, the love stories, the behaviour of both the good and the bad characters just does not ring true; I have read some aspects of the Vedic period culture, and when I keep that in mind, this is elevated even further. The story seems post-modern in everything, but told in an ancient setting. The behaviour, the norms of the society, all are instantly identifiable and recognizable as modern, right till the last character. The interpretation of ancient events is attempted from a modern time-frame, not in the setting in which these happened. The entire sequence of events just does not click...

But, if you can rise above these inconsistencies, then this is a really good piece of fiction. The story is fast-moving and told at a frenetic pace; the plot is exciting and contrived, albeit inspired by The Mahabharat. The characterisation is slightly minimalist, but that is only to be expected in a work of this scale and scope, spanning generations and dozens of characters. And, the icing on the cake : the level of complexity is far greater than most books in the fiction genre. My rating : zero stars as a retelling of The Mahabharat, and 5 stars as a work of pure fiction!

[Viju · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few weeks back, I was in a discussion with author Krishna Udaysankar on BlogAdda’s chat on mythological fiction. In general, I am of the view that a lot of the happenings in our epics are left open to interpretation and it is always refreshing to see someone go down an untraveled path while exercising their creativity. The author, in the discussion, mentioned that a lot of details differ in editions including critical editions, and we just assume that the popular version is the ‘correct’ one. I could not have agreed with the author Ms. Krishna on this more, and this perhaps is where the Krishna Udaysankar’s trilogy ‘Aryavarta Chronicles’ stands out. A retelling of the Mahabharatha standing in a very stable way in a very new realm, including a (fictitious) plot point that mostly works, Aryavarta Chronicles is a wonderful journey from start to finish. The focus of this post will essentially be on the third book of the trilogy ‘Kurukshetra,’ but there will be references to the first two books ‘Govinda’ and ‘Kauravas’ in a few places in the post.

For the fact that Mahabharata got me back to reading, I am usually keen on reading any interpretation of the epic that shows up. Upon hearing about the Aryavarta Chronicles and the author (and her credentials, I must say) my interest was piqued. With BlogAdda having this third book for review, it was no brainer for me to apply and ensure that I had read the first two books before the third one. I was tempted to try this one as a standalone, but a friend mentioned that flow and the understanding of the characters would be better if I read the first two books. (More on this a little later in the post.) I got the first two books, and it formed an integral part of my mornings for six days when I read it on the bus (my first time with continued reading on the bus).

Among the retellings of the epic Mahabharatha, I was most fascinated by two books for two different reasons: the character analysis in Irawati Karwe’s Yuganta: The End of an Epoch and general theme of M.T. Vasudevan Nair’s Bhima: Lone Warrior (though I am tempted to add Jaya by Devdutt Pattanaik to the list!). I can safely say that the Aryavarta Chronicles is going to feature in this list.

A portrayal of the lesser-known characters in a very new dimension, Kurukshetra starts at where Kauravas ended: a hint of the declaration of a war between the cousins. While many a version have written about the epic and the war in great depth, Krishna adds in a premise featuring a section of people called the Firewrights and a Secret Keeper. The reasons for many happenings in the epic are attributed to the Firewrights, and this includes the occurences of events including Dharma marrying Panchali and the empire expansion with the annexure of many a kingdom in Aryavarta (described in detail in Book 2).

Who are the Firewrights, what do they want, what is their ancestry and why is that the First borns are involved in the occurences along with the Firewrights? These are all the questions that Krishna tries to pose in the first two books and answer them (mostly satisfactorily) in the Kurukshetra. The fact that the Firewright theory stemmed from one of the first few people of the Kaurava family is indeed interesting and I quite liked how the author blended the happening in the last year of the exile of Dharma and his brothers to this.
There were many thing that had the book going great for me. Firstly, the writing. The author takes into account the intelligence of the reader and leaves quite a few things open for interpretation or for the reader to figure out himself. In an age, when story-telling can mean jotting down a screenplay lazily, Krishna makes a wonderful effort to introduce elements into the story which have meaning much later in the story, and it is up to the reader to connect those. Secondly, there was no God like stature to any of the characters, including Govinda. For example, the fact that the shaming of Panchali did not have a divine angle to it made you sympathize with the character a lot more. In addition, Govinda is shown as a selfish character for the most part (and there is a reason to it), and this I guess makes the character a lot more relatable. Thirdly, the main characters in this retelling included the characters that are mostly mentioned in the other versions to drive the story. With Dhristadymna, Shikhandin, Ashwattama, Sanjaya, Vyasa Dwaipayana, and Suka, forming a major chunk of the characters on who the story is focused on, it is refreshing to see the author not adopting the safe route for the epic. Even though a lot of the other characters including Pritha (Kunthi), Gandhaari, and Dhritarashtra, do not get enough screen time in the book, it doesn’t seem to affect the premise.

Two more things that I loved about the book were the innocent romance that Abhimanyu and Uttara had in the first part of the book including the days leading up to the war. I would definitely love to read a short piece by the author solely focusing on these two characters. One reason, she did not take Uttara’s love for Abhimanyu granted and two, Abhimanyu’s dignified (and perhaps awkward) behavior. The second thing was that in the book (and in the trilogy), a different side of Syoddhan is shown. One, he is not shown on the arrogant and angry cousin of Dharma. Two, his reason to declare a war of Dharma and his brothers is not for the kingdom as such. I would love to dwell on this for longer, but it would mean posting spoilers.

A couple of things that did not work for me in the third book was the identity of the secret keeper and in general, the (lack of) emphasis of the Firewrights. I was able to identify who the current secret keeper was in the first few pages of the book and perhaps that made me a little disappointed because I was waiting for the author to spring up a surprise and prove me wrong. Firewrights have been an intergral part of this trilogy with a major part of the second book focusing on the happenings involving them. Perhaps the author intended the third book to focus on the war more, and considering that the war was a result of the action of Firewrights, it is justified. A few minor typos, which do not matter in the larger scheme of things, could be corrected in the subsequent editions.

How does this book stand by itself and how is it as a part of the trilogy? I can safely say that for an enhanced reading experience and better background of the characters, especially considering the characters the author focuses on, the book is better read a trilogy. However, as a standalone too, the book is able to speak for itself, and the author provides sufficient background on a few of the key happenings the reader would need to know or remember from the first two book.

Overall, with some good writing which wonderfully compliments the reader’s intelligence, Kurukshetra (and overall the Aryavarta Chronicles) is a winner! I would love to see how Krishna Udaysankar’s next book turns out to be. And the TV show on this trilogy.

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[Shifad · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The secret to building a city, a citadel…anything really, is to keep the foundations complex but the structures simple"

This is the quote from this book and Krishna Udayashankar did exactly that. Following the epic Mahabharata, the author gave a whole new perspective to the story. She forgot Gods, threw out magic and painted the Mahabharata in mundane human life. There was no magic. Everything was science. Every action had meaning. Even the irrelevance of certain characters in the original epic is beautifully handled here. I liked the book for its detailing, its philosophical banter, its scientific explanation and finally its epic ending. I admit that I found the book dragging at places. But what kept me going was my curiosity. As to how the author will handle certain instances in the original epic. I was rarely disappointed. She did justice to every characters, every instances and managed to bring through some political intrigue also.
She was never parsimonious in her imaginations. She used to its full extent in the narrative. Her telling is a refulgent retelling of the story. Those who likes the epic will find this book enjoyable.

[Jhumjhum Chakrabarti · Rating 4 out of 5]

To put it in one word would be difficult but then the fact remains that a mytho-historical fiction had never been dealt with such expertise and maturity and I doubt if it ever will be. The Aryavarta Chronicles that began with 'Govinda' proved to be something too far fetched an idea to carry on with and therefore gave rise to the doubt that the sequels will be disastrous in themselves. But proving my doubts wrong, the author comes up with something that's more alive that anything mortal who can think of.
Quoting Veda Vyasa from Brahmasutra "Lokvattu leela kaivalyam" ie God indulges in all temporal roles just to edify us humans and the author has proven so in her portrayal of Govinda.
Mahabharat is a social treatise, a story of us all. All of us are battling our respective Kurukshetra for the simple fight between right and wrong is a Kurukshetra. So basically Mahabharata is nothing but the personified symbol of human life and the author has adeptly brought it forth.

[GenevieveAudrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting end to what has been, for me, an excellent re-telling of the Mahabharat. Not a retelling, in actual fact. But a new, reimagined story. Converting the divine aspects of this well loved Indian myth to a very human story filled with human foibles was no mean feat but KU has done it effectively.She covered every aspect of the war brilliantly. The use of astras.  The Grandsire's death. Dharma's lie. The slaughter of Abhimanyu. The dishonourable blow that killed Syoddhan. The assassination of all the Pandava heirs. Even that most famous line in the Baghavad Gita, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." is said here. I wondered how each would be told here and all were done very well indeed. In a most believable manner. I especially liked how Asvattama, Shikandin & Syoddhan were portrayed in this series. With a lot more depth and prominence.

Divinity & the divine right to rule vs humanity & self determinationThere is a lot of moral theorising here that can seem boring or uninteresting  But the themes in the book are relevant for current times as well. The same issues of caste, racism, power, corrupt power - we still face & deal with them now. So reading the moral philosophy here is not a waste of time.

Her description of the chaos and violence of a war was visceral and she didn't hold back in describing the horrors of war. This was no sanitised, politically correct war but a version full of blood, gore and guts.It made for hard reading at times but led the narrative as it was meant to.

There are many characters and different story lines here so it might be confusing for those who aren't familiar with the original myth. But this could actually be a plus point because then the story is new, and there will be no preconceived notions to trip you up. But the 3 books must be read in order to ensure full understanding. None of the books is a stand alone one that you can just into randomly.

Definitely worth a read if you're willing to put in the effort. The 3 big books are a real commitment!

[Swathi Shenoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Kurukshetra is the third and final installment of The Aryavrata Chronicles. The first two books in this trilogy are Govinda and Kaurava. The first book 'Govinda' deals with Govinda's plot to destroy the Fire Wrights and make Dharma (the name of Yudhistira in this trilogy) the emperor of Aryavrata. The second deals with the after math of this; the dice game and the consequences that follow, leading to the big war. The third book, as the name suggests, is about the great war of Kurukshetra.

The story of Mahabharatha, though similar to the epic we have read, is still different in many ways. In the very beginning, the author writes "We are the stories we tell. The Aryavrata Chronicles are neither reinterpretation nor retelling. These stories are a construction of reality based on a completely different set of assumptions" Here, the characters are not divine. They are all ordinary people. There are no miracles; instead the author has given logical explanation to events which were termed miracles.

The story begins with Govinda's peace proposal, which is rejected by Syoddhan (Duryodhan). What follows is the series of events, where both the sides try to form allies with other kings, trying to expand their forces. Though they prepare for the war, there is still hope in everyone that it wouldn't come down to war and the other side would surrender. But when peace proceedings fail, it leads to the great battle.

I was waiting to see what form this war would take, as the author has mortalised all the characters. What would be the war like without the divine astras used during the wars? But by hinting that the arrows were coated with nitre, which caused such massive destruction during war, the author has managed this part brilliantly. The war takes the centre stage of the book and almost 200 pages is devoted to the 18 days war, but never once does the reader loses interest. The author has managed to narrate the whole story with precision keeping the reader engaged throughout.

The author has done justice to almost all characters, without letting just some dominate the whole story. Even Syoddhan has been portrayed as a Just ruler, who fights for what he believes is right - The Divine Order and their way of life. By showing compassion to Abhimanyu during the battle, he wins the hearts of the reader. On the other hand, Dharma fails to do so. Dharma was supposed to be all great but reading this book, one cannot stop themselves from harboring ill feeling s towards him. Reading about his reactions during war councils, his pushing Abhimanyu towards the chakra formation, even when he knew the chances of Abhimanyu returning back safe is almost nil, his behaviour towards Hidimbya and even toward Govinda; they all make you wonder if he is really the same Yudhishtira whose praises are sung with devotion! I didn't like this part of the book where Dharma was downgraded.

One more story line, which I enjoyed was that of Abhimanyu and Uttara. Stuck in a marriage which both weren't happy to begin with, there is a barrier between them which both fight to keep and break at the same time. But eventually, love finds its way. There is particularly one line which Uttara says to Abhimanyu "If a woman is truly your equal, prince, then there is no need to talk about it. The more you spout these declarations and postulates, the more you reveal the truth of the matter - that in your world, women are not equal to men, and so rhetoric to the contrary is required" It speaks volumes about Uttara's courage. One cannot help but feel the pain when Abhimanyu is so brutally killed later in the war.

There are many mytholgical incidents, which Krishna Udayasankar deals with reason. She has managed to give attention to even minute details, to keep the readers in loop as to why things are the way they are. For instance, when describing the war arrangements, she says there were different kitchens in each units and sometimes more than one in each sub unit. This arrangement was to reduce the risk of poisoning the army either accidentally or deliberately. A simple yet effective approach. It was easy to keep up with the story. Her writing is eloquent and engaging; her narration skills exceptional.

Here are a few quotes from the book that I loved:

* In every story, there are heroes. But it is not always the heroes who move the tale forward or do what needs to be done. There are others and their story is hardly told.
* True rebellion takes courage of different sorts. True rebellion takes letting go.
* No one person can save the world. But the fact that we all try, against all odds, is what the world is worth saving for.
* What amazing creatures we are, to carry this very essence of existence within us. Hope - the undefined potential of all creation, the power of the creator itself.
* No one person is the cause for or consequence of all that happens. I am just the tenth man, the threshold, the turn in the tide. I stand here on the shoulders of humanity, a mere instrument of Time.

The book makes a great read. Without miracles and just logical reasons to support the events, it seems more believable. The pace is perfect, slowing down only when need be, without exaggerating anything unnecessary. I will suggest this book to all mythology lovers.

[Pramod Kadagattor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read! Gives a whole different perspective of Mahabharata, Yudhistir, Duryodhan and mainly Krishna.
The whole series was captivating. The character builds were amazing, especially of Shikandin and Asvattama.
Perfect ending too!

[Vishal Kumar · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is written very well and keeps the excitement till last page even everyone in India knows this story by heart.

[Ruchi Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Draupadi cheer haran scene is mind blowing! A must read!

[Ananaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of this book broke my heart. And yet, I wouldn’t have it end any other way. A fantastic finale!

[Gaurav Boralkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ending

[Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

mehh

[Bibliophylax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aryavarta is at the brink of war and the nobles of the realm are forced to choose. The choice is not between Syyodhan and Dharma Yudhishtir but rather between an acquiescence to status quo and a commitment to re-creation. Govinda Shauri will sacrifice everything and everyone to give humanity a fresh start without war. But there are forces at work wanting that cataclysm, thwarting his attempts at sacrifice and he faces opposition from quarters he never expected. When events spin out of his control, what happens? Kurukshetra...

Rating - Krishna Udayasankar is an outstanding writer, there is no question about it. If I were to compare her latest book to others of the same genre or indeed to others that have come out in the last 20 years or so, Kurukshetra would, without doubt, deserve a 5 out of 5. But if Kurukshetra were put in a head to head match up with the previous two in the same series, I would have to give it a 4

Review - There is a melancholy about Govinda in this phase of his life and an honesty about him. The mess that Aryavarta had become is shown very well and the reasons each kingdom had to choose the side they did are beautifully explained. Ms Udayansankar has dealt with many uncomfortable questions about Govinda such as teh offer to Karna and surprisingly it fits into the narrative very well. I would say the same for the reaction to poor Ghatotkatch's death. The thoughts running through Govinda's mind on entering Hastinapur court were an unexpected treat

But the war and battle strategies were the most awesome part of the book, in my opinion. I felt the whoosh of air from Bheeshma's missles right along with Shikhandin, the fear and the pain and the awe. Abhimanyu vadh kept me crying. The young man's blood lust, youthful stupidity, valor, regret and his love for Uttara kept me praying that he would somehow escape his fate. Jaydrath vadh takes you right there to Kuru's fields into the eerie darkness, unnatural perhaps to the common man and understood as divine in nature. Ghatotkatch and his sacrifice will surely feel like a knife to your heart. Narayanaastra awed me. Nagaastra and how Govinda saves Parth from it chilled me.

The natural strife between conflicting ideas of the commanders, the reason for the various incredibly insane strategies from the Pandava side all made for enjoyable reading. My awe of Govinda Shauri went up several notches when I realized he had to fight not just the opposing armies. Govinda is also fighting prejudice, narrow mindedness, ego and in one particular instance a love so deep, it came to be called devotion

The negatives are not that many, but there are a few. The book could have been more tightly edited. There were several unnecessary scenes involving secondary/minor characters which could have been dealt with in one or two sentence conversation between any on the Pandava side. Govinda fills the pages. Which is just fine by me. But, it does make some parts look a little abrupt, like Parth's sudden doubts, Bheem's near insanity and several people's change towards the end. The other problem I had is with the limited presence of the female protagonist. The moments that Govinda and Panchali have together have so much depth in them, I wish the author had included more of them. I loved how the Abhimanyu-Uttara relationship was developed, but they were given so much space and I had been hoping to see more of the Parth-Govinda friendship and of Panchali-Govinda. And I was hoping to see more of a connect between Parth and Panchali as well, even if not romantic. In some places, it almost seemed as though the author was grappling with some of the questions in her mind and working them out on paper. I usually score a book by how many times I hear the author instead of the characters. In the whole series, there were 2. One was when Panchali makes a bitter comment on perhaps calling Dussasan brother' may have saved her from the disrobing. The second was in a conversation between Syyodhan and Ashwatthama about Govinda. The overall flow was so smooth that these instances jarred me out of the story.

I always felt that Swarga Parva in the original epic, even shorn of the divinity part, was way too pat. Kurukshetra has a nice take on what happened. I confess to not understanding Govinda's statement about Narayana not abandoning Sri here. But perhaps the ambiguity was deliberate.

Recommendation - Highly recommend! And looking forward to the author's next, The Cowherd Prince. If we are lucky, she will tell us more about Ghora Angirasa's heir in this book as well!

[Geeta Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

HIGHS

The Cover: Eye- catching. The first thing that caught my eyes as soon as I received the book is the sentence at the top: The epic as it was never told before.

This book has justified the same.

Author’s note: A beautiful introduction to the book, something one must read without fail before embarking on the journey called ‘Kurukshetra’.

The hierarchy chart and the cast of characters: A wonderful guide necessary to understand quite a lot about the characters and groups that find a mention/ are the fore players in the story.

Storyline and Characters: Interesting, intriguing and gripping. Interesting because the book looks at the Mahabharata from a different perspective. Intriguing because with each passing page I felt more and more curious to know where the story was heading for. Though the Mahabharata is not new to me yet the blurb, the author’s note and the cast of characters especially the Firewrights, Firstborn and The Secret Keeper had me confused and guessing. Gripping because it kept me spell-bound till the very end.

True to her words in the ‘Author’s Note’, Krishna Udayshankar has put forth a story, a reality based on a completely different set of assumptions. Like most Indian mythological stories, the Mahabharata too is open to interpretation and the author’s interpretation had me spell- bound. What I liked is that here there are neither bad boys nor good boys. Syoddhan ( Duruyodhna) who has always been portrayed as all that’s evil seemed for once normal and humane at places while Dharma (Yudhishtra) who is always seen as the virtuous one, is shown as weak, selfish and arrogant in some parts. All the other characters too including Bhisma Devavrata, Sanjay and even Govinda (Krishna) are projected as normal human beings driven by their own selfish desires, ambitions, fears and weakness. The two sides of the human mind are well reflected in each one of them, their thoughts and actions.

The first 180 pages or so give us an insight into the thoughts, the emotions running within the two warring camps, their plans, their strategies while the next two hundred pages or so deal with the war. Even the war that unfolds in the pages of the book looks realistic, down to earth. The element of divine especially in respect of the weapons used that we come across in the various interpretations of the Mahabharata, is missing. It is just the wonder of science of metallurgy and chemistry that one gets to see here. The valor, emotions and battle scenes are put forth beautifully. Each whiz of the arrow, each battle cry rings in your ears as you course through the maze of words that bring live the war.

The characters of Panchali, Govinda , Shikhandin, Uttara and Abhimanyu stand out among the crowd. There are umpteen numbers of twists and turns each adding value to the book.

The essence of the Gita as well as the relationship between Abhimanyu and Uttara are very well captured in the pages pf the book and make interesting read.

Language : Language is simple, lucid and crisp. Long winding sentences and chapters generally take away the sheen from a book and tough vocabulary proves to be a stumbling block in the flow. Thankfully Krishna Udayshankar has taken care of these two aspects well. But yes, to be able to really appreciate the book one needs to devote ample time and not just whiz through the pages.

Pace and Length: The pace and length of the book is fine neither too fast nor to slow, neither too short nor too long.

LOWS

Editing: Could have been tighter. There are a few typos. But I must mention here that this does not in any way affect my rating of the book.

Read the full review @ https://geetaavij.wordpress.com/2015/...

[Jigar Doshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to learn to use various adjectives from taran Adarsh or simply open a thesaurus.
amazing. brilliant. mind-blowing. spell-bounding. awesome. superb. great. interesting. page-turner. (reminds me of my inadequacy)

if Govinda and kaurava were good/better, kurukshetra is the best of the trilogy. sidhu would call it a shot that was hit 'out of the park' that warrants a change of ball.

my only complaint with first two books was that there is not much time given to the actual combat. can't have the same complaint with this book. while 100+ pages are spent on accumulation of armies and preparation of war, the 18 days of war almost takes up the remaining of the book.

one of the biggest strengths and probably also the biggest challenge of author is that she has shown everyone as mortal. it only makes it more interesting as you are observed in the characters and are anticipating as to what will happen next. and challenge because the science behind all the weapons and their functioning is clearly explained. what you believed as magic all these years is explained in simple terms that it is not magic but pure science.

human desires, ambitions, manipulations and fears are vividly explained. even you shout with joy and exhilaration just like the character in the story does when he hits the enemy.
when you make them divine, gods and demons, you don't really feel. you're inclined that gods are bound to win. but when you keep them mortal, you feel what they feel. again, another greatness of the author and her writing.
to know the whole story and outcome, yet to get exhilarated when one kills and sad when one is killed, is nothing but the hold of author on the reader.

while the book kurukshetra is all about war, it is not about just that. there is so much more.
it is about the fight for unity, for democracy, for system and change when the system fails and for people.
it is about the fight between firewright and firstborn, both wanting to wield higher power over the world and a rebel who is neither pro nor against any sect but against the very ideology of either weilding power over the people.

as the book progresses, I fell more and more in love with syoddhan and hated dharma.

also loved how the book conveys that winners eventually become the good men and losers become the evil in the tales. and that, every time a tale is told, the truth in it changes for everyone sees different truth every time it is told.

great work by the author. it is all the more good because this trilogy is debut work of author.

and to the argument that what's so great in retelling of an epic? this is not retelling. Mahabharata is just the base of the story and is largely dependent on it, but it is not simple retelling of the epic. read it further to realize the same.

lastly, editor needs to work harder. lots of spelling mistakes, printing errors and silly/avoidable errors have crept in. hopefully, will be rectified in reprints.

[Sridhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many things I might want to say about this book, or the entire trilogy.
Like meluha, I fancied the concept of gods being mere mortals who rose because of their deeds and this was the main reason I read Govinda.
Coming to Kurukshetra, I like the fact that the author has given alternate scientific explanations to otherwise Supernatural incidents in the War.
I feel that the author, out of compulsion, choose to highlight certain traits or qualities, and ignore others, which were popular in other versions. For example, in the trilogy, you would find that Shakuni plays a very diminutive role, compared to the popular belief that he was a mastermind behind the mahabharat and other incidents.
The tales of Ashwathama, Shinkandin and other pivotal characters was refreshing and inspiring.These were mere names in the regular versions of mahabharata we see or read, and for this reason, I thank the author for integrating them into the main storyline,Although I will accuse the author of not portraying Nakul and Sadev to my expectations. These twins are the most ignored of the pandavas, and I feel the same has happened even in the aryavarta chronicles. I expected the author, who has built wonderful back-stories for otherwise forgotten characters like Shikandin or Ashwathama or even Keechaka to do some justice toward Nakul and Sadev.
Also missing are the tales of heroics and grandeur of Karna, or Vasusena, and little is said about his past or his training under the famed bhargava rama but that is but a small hitch in an otherwise wonderful storytelling.
I have read the regular version of mahabharata and also the tale from Syodhan’s point of view, and this book, including the other two, brings a balance to both viewpoints. The traits like good and bad are merely reduced to shades of grey, and each character emerges as a complex being with his own complex thought scheme, as opposed to the simple good bad distinction we find in the portrayal of Mahabharata. This is one of the principle reasons I adore this book, and the entire trilogy.
The author has done a wonderful job in both story telling and wordplay. She built a plot which was inspired from the Mahabharata, but was distinctly hers. Through the book, you realise the characters are evolving through the events, all except Dharma, who still remains an arrogant, snobbish and all other expletives that you can think of. I believe both the author and I posses an inherent malice towards Dharma Yudishtir, and this made me appreciate the book more.
The only reason I would not recommend finishing this book, would be because it would end the entire experience. I wish the book would have been longer but don't take my word for it. I am a person who wishes Tolkien was alive. Such is my adoration to this trilogy that I would place it on a pedestal near(not same)as the LoTR fantasy.

[Aparajitabasu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original Link to the review at my blog Le' Grande Codex - here

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The decisive battle between the Kauravas & the Pandavas. 'Kurukshetra' entitles the final chapter of the Aryavarta Chronicles following the previous 2 books 'Govinda' and 'Kauravas'. We have all grown up reading or watching Mahabharta on the television in all of its mytho-historical glory. Krishna Udaysankar not only held a cohesive plot till the end but also managed to tell this huge, complex tale without the mythos.

Not a re-telling but more of a re-imaging can be observed as she tells a de-mystified version of the epic saga. Its the battle of the Firstborns (the sages) and the Firewrights (the scientists). The Divine Order and the right of democracy. Political greed and unholy desires. And the scheming of the court life. Not only does she manages to keep her story well paced through the thick and the thin but also gives rhyme and reason to instances and scenes of the tale that would have defied impossibility.

No longer is Syoddhan (Duryodhan) the bad guy and neither is Dharma (Yudhisthir) the good one. Nothing ever exists in black and white, always the grey is there to shuffle things around. And that is what the author skillfully portrayed throughout the pages, taking instances from the text and churning out something that is reasonable and equally exquisite. It is not really necessary to know the story of Mahabharata before you read this series but it is beneficial to co-relate if you do.

Much goes in the preparations of war. That is beautifully portrayed in the first half of the book as both sides scramble to acquire allies and troops for the war. The 18 days war was no less elegant and Udaysankar's play on words described all the nuances in stark details. Every maneuver, every formation, every action taken and the resulting deaths stood the test of courage. At heart this is a battle as i had already said between the Firstborns and the Firewrights, with the tale of the Kauravas and the Pandavas unfolding right along.

Really the best conclusion afforded to the series. Krishna Udaysankar's Aryavarta Chronicles put to shame every other re-telling of the epic modern authors and playwrights have even hoped to put out there .... And the identity of the secret keeper is finally revealed. So there is that to look forward to as well in this glorious finale.

"An extravagantly monumental finale"

[Gita · Rating 5 out of 5]

The exemplary way in which the author has written about the 18 days of the battle of Kurukshetra is itself sufficient to make you pick-up this book and race through to the end. The preparations for the war, the bravado of the warring factions, the emotions, the graphic scenarios, the arms and ammunition used in those times, the tactical warfare etc everything has been written to create clear imagery in the readers mind. The emotions and motives of the protagonists are captured in such a manner as to make you understand completely why they chose to do or act the way they did.
The characters are painted in mixed shades here. There is no clear good or a bad character. Duryodhan (sayyoddhan) is neither portrayed as a clear villain nor a high moral guy, but perhaps a person exhibiting a shade of grey. Surprisingly, even Govinda (Krishna) is not painted in a single shade. He is shown to be manipulative, kind, restrained, depressed, strong as well as weak, like any human being. This character progression keeps up during all the 3 books and sometimes it confuses the reader. Same is with Yuddhishtir with he being presented as staunch stickler to Dharma yet shows many deviations as will be perceived by the reader but justified by the author by one way or the other under the garb of Dharma only. All through the book 1 and 2 you are made to feel Sanjaya is perhaps the main puppeteer pulling the strings but then he almost disappears in this 3rd book only to appear towards the end. Hmm... Shikhandin (the male/female character of Mahabharata) is given much higher recognition by the author and the way she etches out his/her character makes it very believable.
To sum it all up, these 3 books are not a watered down version of the epic Mahabharata, nor is it an attempt to retell the story or reinvent the story. It is a brilliant re-imagination of this great timeless epic that we know as Mahabharata.

[Bookgeeks.In · Rating 4 out of 5]

India is a country filled with storytellers and mythological tales that are at once fascinating and revealing. The people in mythology are of such strong characters that one is but left to wonder how they would fare in modern society. Their moralities, their beliefs, their understanding of Dharma would severely be tested and it would have been fantastic to see how they would make decisions in present day society’s rules. The Mahabharata was one such epic that had a rich variety of characters, a tale that one cannot put down even to this day.

Thanks to Krishna Udayshankar’s trilogy “The Aryavarta Chronicles”, we can imagine how it would be like for kings and commoners of that time to have to work in the constraints of today’s world. The trilogy started with “Govinda”, in which the story of Govinda Shauri was narrated, followed by “Kaurava” where the focus was more on Syoddhan and Yudhistir. The final book in the epic trilogy “Kurukshetra” tells the tale of the political and human manipulations in the build up to the great war. In fact, as one would expect, the Kurukshetra war itself takes a major portion of the book, and it is described in great detail.

While the story outline is itself predictable for anyone who has read the Mahabharata, where the author scores points once again is in the reinterpretation of the epic. As has been the norm throughout the trilogy, there are no good and bad people, just different shades of grey. Krishna Udayshankar also paints a detailed picture of the war itself, and how she manages to get past the barrier of imagining the various astras to a modern interpretation is also wonderful to read.

All the characters in the story are given equal importance, and more importantly, the author does not try to take a stand as to who is right and who is wrong. Whether it is Syoddhan or Dharma, both have been shown to have positive traits and flaws as well. Abhimanyu is well represented in the story, as well as Ghatotkacha and the Rikshasas. The story behind each story is fascinating in itself, and does justice to the original in every way.

Skeptical readers who do not want to sully their experience of the Mahabharata by reading modern adaptations do not need to worry as the author has ensured that the story can be independently read without the need to keep comparing with the original. It has a lot of depth, and the way it is written also leaves you completely engrossed in the book right from page 1. Not only this book, but the entire trilogy is worth reading at least once.

[Mayurbahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been trying to get my hands on this book for a long time. Almost a year, in fact. But international copyright issues prevented me. But when I got to it at last, it turned out every day waiting was worth it. I consumed it in days. And during 10-hour workdays, that meant sleepless nights. So riveting and engrossing the plot is. A fitting end to the trilogy.
We have grown up hearing about the stories of the Mahabharata. Of Arjun's heroics, Yudhistira's honesty, Duryodhana's scheming and Krishna's benevolence. This book takes all of that and churns it, spins it and dishes out a completely different story from what we know. Correcting the above statement, it does keep the main storyline similar to the epic but situations are created, backstories told, which puts the final actions of the characters in perspective. Makes you see them in a new light. To spin a new story from a well-known one, the author has picked characters who the original epic only mentions skeletally, in their most glorious times. And given them flesh, a Shikhandin and Aswattama Bharadwaja are given important roles. Their heroism gets as much or sometimes more attention than even Partha's.
The battle scenes are definitely the hallmark. I felt a constriction in my heart when young, brave and courageous Abhimanyu falls, heroic till the end. But the book is much more than just a war chronicle. The war is given legitimacy by triumph of democratic values over the older system. This was very much required because the good-evil difference is completely torn down by the author. Neither is Syodhana an evil usurper, nor is Dharma the epitome of virtue. And in the centre of everything is Govinda Shauri.
Govinda's machinations bring the nation on the brink of war. But in the end, its the little push by Panchali that sends the combined forces of Aryavarta hurtling through to death and destruction. The democratic colours given to the struggle justify the participation of almost all major kingdoms in the war. Otherwise, why would anybody be interested in waging war for feuding princes of a family. That definitely requires more than just marriage alliances.
In the end, it was a wonderful read. Definitely worth the wait. Thank you Ms.Shankar. Will certainly be looking forward to more from you.

[Madhusudhana U · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say, author has tried his best to finish the trilogy. As an simple reader who enjoys reading and looks for the answers for the questions/doubts raised during the course of entire book/series, I felt that author should have tried to answer some of the questions/situations in a better way. I was all along looking for answers to below questions, which I didn't find till I finished all 3 books.

1. Who is "she" which Devala was referring when he spoke to Govinda? who is she? what was their history?
2. How did Panchala king bough home Panchali/dhrishtadyumna? Who were they? How did they lost memory of their past life?
3. No explanation on how/why Pritha abandoned Vasusena
4. No story of Govinda's mother. Why he left her?
5. Why Govinda was referring Panchali as "Sri"?
6. Govinda constructed the war just to cleanse Aryavartha of all Wright weapons?
7. How Suka got himself convinced/trained by wrights without Dwaipayana knowing
8. How Suka was able to include wright knowledge of weapons/medicine etc in his books?

I still have many doubts at the end of book 3. All technical/methodological points aside, I enjoyed reading all three books. Gave a fresh perspective to Mahabharatha tale.

[Chaitanya Somalwar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book mind boggling and mesmerising by all means. The book, which is the third and final instalment in the Aryavarta series, does complete justice to the story and the plot that has been woven in the earlier parts. As the name suggests, a gargantuan part of the book is attributed to the actual war. Well, the descriptions of the war have very intricately been portrayed and are among the best that I have read( not that I have read many but yet......:-P ). Through the artisitically crafted descriptions, the author manages to transport the reader to the battlefield replete with war cries and clinking of metals.
A peculuarity of the entire Aryavarta series has been the rational approach that the author has taken. The author attempts to rationalize everything. Exempli gratia, the weapons used in the war have been viewed as the brainchildren of humans rather than the gifts of divine. This was the part of the series that appealed me the most.
Also the book is replete with material that keeps the reader's interest alive at every turn. So overall the book is worth the every penny that you have spent on it.

[Sindhuja R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read and liked the first two parts of the trilogy, I was eagerly waiting for the third part. Having completed it, I must say, I was not disappointed.. This book is , in my opinion, the best of the three.. As the name suggests, it covers the epic battle at kurukshetra and the events preceding it. While retaining the crux of the Mahabharatha, the author has given an interesting perspective of the events occurring therein. A valiant attempt has been made to strip the story of myth and magic and present a narrative close to reality.
Of the individual characterisations, I especially liked that of shikandin, ashvattama, Uttara, abhimanyu not to mention that of draupadi and duryodhan.. I also liked the treatment of the principal female characters by the author - all of them have been portrayed as feisty and strong willed.
The narrative is fast paced and I was quickly glued to it - there was rarely a moment when I was bored or distracted.. Overall a very good read, in case you are upto reading and enjoying mythological fiction!

[Vishal Vishu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing retelling of Mahabharata. Have not been tired of saying this over and over again. It is true that on paper Pandavas did win the war , but was that worth winning at the cost of so many lives. I never do accept the fact that Dharma can be established with destruction. After reading Kurukshetra/Mahabharata I always feel that a family feud was branded in a bigger way to picturise a more bigger and positive interest for war.

Coming to the book, the narration is excellent. The author has clearly depicted the background alliances that were built before war and also the point as to how many vassals had their personal motive towards being part of the war.

One part that astounded me was the plot around HIDIMBYA. Just because he was from a Naga origin , he was not been made a part of the royalty though he was most eligible. But at time of war when he was needed , he was asked for help. This is something that happens even today, talent scores low over your family background at times.