The Immortals of Meluha (Shiva Trilogy, #1)

by Amish Tripathi

Shiva! The Mahadev. The God of Gods. Destroyer of Evil. Passionate lover. Fierce warrior. Consummate dancer. Charismatic leader. All-powerful, yet incorruptible. A quick wit, accompanied by an equally quick and fearsome temper.

‘Satya. Dharma. Maan’: Truth. Duty. Honour.

‘Do you know what is the most powerful force in a man’s life?’

‘It is his intense desire to impress the person he loves the most,’ expounded Daksha. ‘Look at me. I have always loved my father. My desire to impress him is what is driving me even today. Even after his death, I still want to make him proud of me. It is driving me to my destiny as the King who will re-establish the pure Suryavanshi way of life across India. And when the Neelkanth develops a deep desire to make Sati proud of him, he will rise to fulfil his destiny.’

think,’ said Daksha smiling, ‘the most powerful force in a woman’s life is the need to be appreciated, loved and cherished for what she is.’

She is beautiful, honest, straight-forward, brave and intelligent — everything a man could possibly want in a woman. But

‘If you want to know the strength of a cloth, you inspect the quality of its weave. If you want to understand a person’s character, look closely at his interpersonal behaviour or his transactions.’

It had everything that the Suryavanshis held dear. Defiant when under pressure, yet magnanimous in victory.

Death brings to a final end a soul’s aspirations.

Ironically, however, it is sometimes the hovering imminence of the end itself which gives a soul the courage to challenge every

constraint and express even a long-...

‘All right,’ laughed the Pandit. ‘Tell me. What is the colour of that leaf?’ ‘The colour? It’s green.’ ‘Is it?’ ‘Isn’t it? ‘Why do you think it appears green to you?’ ‘Because,’ said Shiva, amused, ‘it is green.’ ‘No. That wasn’t what I was trying to ask. You had a conversation with one of Brahaspati’s scientists about how the eyes see. Didn’t you?’ ‘Oh that, right,’ said Shiva slapping his forehead. ‘Light falls on an object. And when it reflects back from that object to your eyes, you see that object.’ ‘Exactly! And you had another conversation with another scientist about what normal white sunlight is made of.’ ‘Yes, I did. White light is nothing but the confluence of seven different colours. That is why the rainbow is made up of seven colours since it is formed when raindrops disperse sunlight.’ ‘Correct! Now put these two theories together and answer my question. Why does that leaf appear green to you? Shiva frowned as his mind worked the problem out. ‘White sunlight falls on that leaf. The leaf’s physical properties are such that it absorbs the colours violet, indigo, blue, yellow, orange and red. It doesn’t absorb the colour green, which is then reflected back to my eyes. Hence I see the leaf as green.’ ‘Exactly!’ beamed the Pandit. ‘So think about the colour of that leaf from the perspective of the leaf itself. What colour it absorbs and what it rejects. Is its colour green? Or is it every single colour in the world, except green?’ Shiva was stunned into silence by...

Deeds, however noble, will follow the rightful belief in you that you are the Mahadev. It matters little what others think. Believe you are the Mahadev, and you will become one.’

Neelkanth.

The entire room was stunned into silence by this unexpected information.

‘After all, discretion is the better part of valour.’

across. It doesn’t matter how big their army is, each charge by the enemy into the pass cannot comprise more than a few hundred men.’ ‘But Drapaku, with a hundred thousand men, they can

These were Lord Ram’s words. There are no bystanders in a dharmayudh.

‘Suryavanshis!’ bellowed Shiva, raising his hand. ‘Meluhans! Hear me!’ The army quietened down to hear their living god. ‘Who is a Mahadev?’ roared Shiva. They listened in rapt attention, hanging on to every word. ‘Does he sit on a pitiable height and look on idly while ordinary men do what should be his job? No!’ Some soldiers were praying inaudibly. ‘Does he lazily bestow his blessings while others fight for the good? Does he stand by nonchalantly and count the dead while the living sacrifice themselves to destroy evil? No!’ There was pin-drop silence as the Suryavanshis absorbed their Neelkanth’s message. ‘A man becomes a Mahadev when he fights for good. A Mahadev is not born as one from his mother’s womb. He is forged in the heat of battle, when he wages a war to destroy evil!’ The army stood hushed, feeling a flood of positive energy. ‘I am a Mahadev!’ bellowed Shiva.

ride rapidly back to their lines,

cannot understand it. Contradictions are

His burden didn’t feel any lighter. But he felt strong enough to carry it.