Mahabharata and the Marvellous Cycle of Boons, Curses and Vows

by H.A. Padmini

This book takes us beyond the familiar reading of the great epic, moving away from a chronological recounting of events, to focus on the greater scheme of things by which each of these incidents is linked in a causal relationship, and therefore, had to happen exactly the way they did.

The story of Mahabharata unravels over aeons, spanning heaven, earth and hell; intricately weaving gods and demons, sages and humans, birth and rebirth all into one majestic tapestry through the law of Karma—whereby every action reaps its fruit at some point in time, no matter who the doer is. Erring gods are cursed by human sages, great demons earn boons from gods, ordinary folk earn blessings or curses, and gods take birth as humans when so ordained!

Mahabharata and the Marvellous Cycle of Boons, Curses and Vows explores the complexity of the greatest epic of all time, and takes the reader far beyond the story of the Kurukshetra war.

232 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2019

Reviews

[Yashovardhan Sinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently reading the 8000 plus page Complete Mahabharat and decided to read this book just for the heck of it.

The author has presented the central story of the epic, making the Law of Karma as its theme. Each major event is linked to a story from a previous birth.

I found the book interesting & enjoyable.

[Eswaran · Rating 5 out of 5]

All boons are not good. All curses are not bad. A person who takes a vow at the spur of the moment is severely tested to see how steadfast he / she is in his / her determination. These are key takeaways from this slim volume of stories of Mahabharata revolving around curses, boons and vows. The author uses several narrative techniques like backstory, flash-back, flash-forward and foreshadowing. The original epic delineates these stories over several chapters. But this author has curated the related stories together, and at the same time ensured that the whole Mahabharata is covered. This is a new way of looking at the epic. The reason why Karna was born with the armor and the earrings follows the story of Sahasrakavachi, the end of world and his re-birth as Karna to complete his boon. The link between Ramayana and Mahabharata is expressed through the story of Hanuman and Bhima. Introducing Sanskrit words and Sanskrit verses at appropriate places also adds value to the story. It will appeal to those who love to get familiar with the language. The story is a whirlwind tour of the original epic through boons, curses and vows. The characters go through the karmic cycle of birth-death-rebirth till they attain salvation.

The book makes fleeting references to the ‘teaching parts’ of the ithihasa like the Yakshaprashna or Bhagavad Gita. They are, hopefully, reserved for a different book. The challenge while reading such epics is to remember the names of the many characters and sometimes each character has many names. Though all of us know the epic by the name Mahabharata, Krishna Dwaipayan a.k.a Ved vysa named it as Jaya and the author also has referenced it by the same name. I, personally, would have loved to see one chapter dedicated to the original epic to kindle the interest of those that would like to know more about it. All in all, a unique addition to the many retellings. The simple language and the quick pace of storytelling should appeal to the younger generation’s attention.

[Basavaraju M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mahabharath - there are many books coming out on this great Indian epic. But this specific book stands out differently. The narration is done with a view of how different boons and curses helped or affected the characters. The views and the language are reader friendly. It is not just about Mahabharath as to how it happened. The author tried to explain the personalities and the incidents as to how and why they happened. Finally the book brings in the clarity and satisfaction to the readers that the unknown connections between the characters are clarified. It is a must visit for any avid reader.

[swapnaja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intersting reads for all ages

This book is a good read for all ages.
Mrs.H A Padmini has explained in very easy understandable language the full Mahabharta by segregating into various chapters and title heads according to the personalities which makes us easy to corelate the entire chain of events in the history.....Par excellence....

[Shamik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently it is yet another retelling of the Mahabharata, but with a difference. It narrates most of the well known stories of Mahabharata with reference to past karma, good (boon) or bad (curses). Interesting read.

[Mahalakshmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciate the author for putting in efforts to potray the views of Mahabharata in a different point of view.
Almost all the important aspects of Mahabharata are covered in the book.
I would like to say, this book is kind of a book which every book-lover should read once.