Magic overtakes Melancholy(contd...)

We..as in we mammals who are sixth sensed tend to assume that we are the ones who choose and control everything around us. But, once in a while..we are being chosen for a reason rather than we making a choice.
I've a faint memory of hearing this line..  " It's difficult to entirely believe in god and its difficult to entirely not believe too...." true isn't it ? Though I call myself attached to spirituality, I have had my times of wonder too. And a series of coincidences like...reading the Shiva Trilogy book, a strong urge to visit Thiruvannamalai temple, getting back to my long lost love..classical dance , it happened all at once. But let me tell you, any temple that I visit...I spend more time in admiring the architecture, visualizing the glorious time of kings and scenes that would have taken place there, trying to know the history........somehow these things appear very captivating to my senses.

Shiva...the Mahadev(God of Gods) who proclaims the new slogan "Har Har Mahadev" (meaning each of us is god) and finds a throne for himself in the hearts of common people is in the same state too. In the second book " THE SECRET OF THE NAGAS" , he ventures out to see new temples...admires the architecture as the author unwinds the technical facts and significance of the design which appears nearly impossible and brilliant to us at the same time. The best part is about the Vasudev pandits from various parts of India conversing with each other's minds through "Radio waves" transmission. This seems possible due to the construction design of the temples , but requires extraordinary practice and concentration. Shiva, our hero has this power naturally and converses with all the pandits through mind - well, he is the HERO right? :)

Don't we experience Telepathy often in our lives ?Oh, yeah I can feel a lot of YES's. It's completely possible and can be accurate through extreme awareness and concentration on oneself...All we need is to believe in oneself.

So, is the so thought EVIL the real evil? NO..The Nagas aren't the villains as Shiva and all of us would think till here, in fact they are extremely honest and good willed humans. The society would have banned them to a far off land because they were born with deformities which is considered to be a result of their previous sins. Rubbish... Shiva too feels the same when he gets to know about it ! I like the thought that he strongly believes in the PRESENT only...

Shiva to Sati   "There is only this life. That is the only reality. Everything else is a theory. Believe the theory that gives you peace and reject the one that causes you pain. Why believe in a theory if it causes you unhappiness? Just have faith. " What an exclamation! It's utter truth and its good to believe in something that gives us peace and happiness now...and this on one love(Broken hearts :Note)
 "The opposite of love is not hate. Hate is just love gone bad. The actual opposite of love is apathy. When you don't care a damn as to what happens to the other person".

And, among the NAGAS..emerges our Lord of the Lords Ganesh whom we personify as an evil hooded figure with ugly deformities till the end of first book. The author brings the twist at a right moment shaking our emotions on strong perceptions that we create. The tactful narration when are about to know the face of the "Hooded Naga"...the way it unfolds and ends leaving us at a very embarassing and guilt filled moment that it its none other than our great god Ganesh is a sure "goose bump moment". We know that Lord Ganesh carries the the head of an elephant and body of a human and that's the mythological fact chosen for the deformity he was banned away for, in the story.

Injustice has prevailed at every point of time from when life has started, its about how we emerge to fight for the right and balance between good and bad at all times. There is another noteworthy line from the book which is spectacular, talking about individuality..

Shiva's Uncle to Shiva "If you feel like fighting against injustice, it might be your karma(destiny). It doesn't matter if the people that evil is being committed against don't fight back. It doesn't matter if the entire world chooses to look the other way. Always remember this. You don't live with the consequences of other people's karma. You live with the consequences of your own"

Another quick mention is of the sizzling romantic encounters between the "very" Suryavanshi Paravteshwar and the "very" Chandravanshi Anandmayi and the noteworthy contradiction that Parvateshwar believes in truth being one whereas Anandmayi says beautifully "There is your truth and there is my truth.And as for the universal truth, it doesn't exist". One must actually read the series to enjoy the Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi stuff - quite interesting that talks about different ways of life...both being fair.

Throughout this second book, we learn lessons on perceptions from various directions. What we seem to think is true isn't...unless we investigate, try to know and challenge it face to face!! That's when a new world opens up to pinch our preconceived groundless perceptions. We all know that rules, systems, laws were made to increase and sustain efficiency and stability among humans....at a place where there is justice to it, when there is truth..Shiva says " If the purpose of justice is served by breaking a law, then break it" !

In that gloomy period where the Mahadev(Shiva) enters India, it needed an enduring powerful soul like him to blow everyone through the transition of change for good. So, its discovered that the Nagas are the abandoned blesses souls and not evil but the source of evil could be found only through them i.e BECAUSE they are the worst affected from the evil.

Shiva gets to know the horrible injustice done to Ganesh but even there, he implies a very intense thought(credits to the author) though being a Mahadev -" Furthermore, I do not have the right to administer justice to the emperor. The universe does.It will deliver justice when it is appropriate..in this life of his"
Many a times, we end up suffering on the fact that there is no one to punish..no one to administer...but it doesn't work like that. We are strongly connected to this universe and so does it gives what it has to, at the right time - good or bad as one deserves. Just believe and do what is right...always ! You can always commit mistakes, get angry, lie,, live like a human but realize it, and then do the right ! 

This reverberating line from the book reflects that thought " That is the purpose of desire. It is for creation and destruction. It is the beginning and the end of a journey. Without desire, there is nothing".  The key for evil being revealed at the end of this book and the alliance of the divine Nagas enables Shiva in his further expedition to destroy evil...How is he going to do that? What if the whole of INDIA turns against him? What is the key evil which Nagas directed Shiva to?Is that linked to their deformities? 

Well, the answers cascade beautifully in the third book "The Oath of Vayuputras".Parashuram, Kali, Ganesh are some of the mezmerizing characters we come across in this second book of Nagas. The author Amish who considers himself blessed to have written this series has already earned a few crores through Westland publications through the success of this Trilogy. The embracing fact is when I read a recent article in a daily where Amish(author) revealed that youth of today are sincerely interested in our mythology and history - all that they are looking for is right people and right path.... And that's what became the key reason for the success of his books.

I wish I can write a lot more...for there is a lot more to share...I will be glad of some of you atleast chose to read the series, not for religion...not for spirituality...but to know what the Mahadev(Shiva) was all about...how contemporary, blissful, outrageous and worldly was his thinking in irony to the gods being perceived as embodiment of seriousness... life is full when there is  laughter, open mindedness and bravery for him and that's what he preaches! Remember next time, you needn't be serious at a temple, you needn't think twice to hug your mate in public, you needn't act superior or inferior to anyone, you can cry loud, laugh out, dance as you wish, sing when you can and respect others the same way you want to be respected....

I am not going to write on the third book "The Oath of the Vayuputras", considering the heavy width and subject of the book.May be....left to you to experience... Har Har Mahadev(I loved the slogan)...the author who was an atheist turned devotee of Shiva..of the Universe.. says - call it everyone is god, call it where there is love there is god or call it each of one has power, its all the same and true. As you read the third book, you will find yourself bowing to not Lord Shiva...but Shiva...a man who lived like a legend and set an example through his extraordinary deeds to be worshiped as a great god today. 

Never know...I might go out of my way and share a few mesmerizing thoughts from the third book too... :)

Magic overtakes Melancholy....

A honest appeal:  My blog on these set of books is purely to kindle happiness within...kindly ignore errors!

It's a period of past melancholy...dreams still filled behind my wide open eyes with a tint of fear. From the most discussed Srilankan issue to budget updates to which heroine wants to enthrall with an item number next...I am spoilt for choices on what to write about. Nevertheless, am literally jumping out of this excitement of writing. May be about my new balcony garden or the job search adventures...the jealous eyed lady in her 40's whom I meet every evening at the park!! But an inner voice shouts that my deep wish is to share a few(well..) excellent portions from "The SHIVA trilogy series"(set of books). It's the most recent soul stirring experience that I went through, my silly encounters at new places always have another day...isn't it?:)

The Trilogy books(By Amish):

Shiva Trilogy 1 : The Immortals of Meluha

Shiva Trilogy 2 : The Secret of the Nagas

Shiva Trilogy 3: The Oath of Vayuputras

The first book has been possessed by me from one year now and I hardly could flip a couple of pages until before 3 months(shame on me..). But, better late than never. Faintly remembering  reading a few chapters in the second book of the series at a friend's place in Dubai last year, on a fine gloomy Monday, I picked  up the first book "The Immortals of Meluha" in a very lite mood.



And.....and....soon after, I found myself travelling(not just reading) along the mythical, exuberant journey of Shiva. That's surprisingly(and lovingly) how we would end up addressing the god of gods..Lord Shiva whilst in the series. The author's unique mythical writing presence gets exhibited with strong depiction of Shiva as a normal man turned Mahadev(God) due to his deeds rather than he being a born Mahadev. Confusing? Err, I too was. Let me be simpler, Amish says that Lord Shiva whom we worship in this era might have never been a god by itself  but a great, extraordinary human legend who transformed into godliness through his actions and karma.

 Now, that doesn't mean he never committed mistakes - the author portrays him as a man who has his own ups and downs, guilt and everything normal like a human.An inexplicable feeling arises when it strikes us hard that YES, Shiva was a human but extremely courageous, brutally honest, tender as a baby at heart, cries out loud, dances passionately, fights fiercely and expresses love like no one else. Now, all those of you to whom I repeatedly insist - expressing your emotion is something more than life, that's the way to live by all means. No matter you choose a religion or not. That's what you are born for..born with...(Disclaimer: Am not responsible if you do anything ruthless on expressing and get beaten up ;) )

So... the first book " The Immortals of Meluha not only throws light on India's geography around 1900 B.C but also gently pats our mind with the excellent societal forms, way of life back then(hardly impossible to implement now, but I still wish we could...), extreme honesty and faith in humans and the significance of rivers, valleys and natural resources in our own India. Isn't it a little pinching to know that Nature was diligently worshiped back then, whereas now..destroying them is one of the (wrong)means we have been into? But..salute to all you good ones who enjoy gardening, who fight and care for our environment..mother nature.

The story has a weird and interesting combo of mythology and fiction, filled with lot of factual data which we would have never got to know this easily. There are a few places where you get goosebumps..like..

• Shiva eradicating the concept of sinned people being cornered in the society and marries Sati who is a widower and mother of a stillborn child to explicitly prove his genuineness (Of course, he loves her). And, respects her being a warrior, a dancer and opens up to leave her to live her life, setting example for others. You get a feel - Didn't I assume freedom and empowerment for women is a topic of recent times ? :)

•  When the story transforms and makes us think that definition of good and evil is quite difficult because its those DIFFERENCES that are mostly regarded as evil by either side of the people...to be simple, for us we are good and the different ones are evil. If this thought could penetrate humans stronger, there would be no fights...nor any wars.  Also, balance of gravity is a must for this world - If there are some who are in strict adherence to time and strict way of life, there should be others to live for the moment and stay carefree..If there are some who follow only grammar, there should be others filled with passion ! The knack of it lies in mending towards the other way, lightening the rules and accepting people around you as they are - no matter which category they belong to.

• A lot of humiliating moments... when you encounter the depth of knowledge in fields of Science, Medicine, Architecture and many more which powerfully existed in those times, leaving you stunned. And the implausible system of neat classifications in the society in concurrence with abilities rather than wealth or caste - in fact there is no caste system.

• Though everyone believes and worship Shiva as a mighty hero, he is still an irritated cranky young man with sheer intelligence, curiosity and humility that shocks.

The character's respect for any kind of skill, art or a fine quality spreads among the society like forest fire - hence showcasing the effectiveness of living as an example than preaching it (well, you needn't be a hero for that..)

• We highly argue upon the influence of western culture and it's impact on our society like ways of dressing, habits etc but the most sensual ways of dressing, exuberant dancing patterns, exploring nature and a few "so thought to be borrowed" habits seem to have existed and instinctive in our geography itself(with due respect and beauty). We just don't know.....but talk.... :)

A handful of mesmerizing and skilled characters like Brahaspati, Parvateshwar, Nandi, Bhadra, Krittika travel with our spirits along with the story which makes us await to meet more influential people in the coming books - intriguing creations( attached to our mythology) by the author !!

Towards the end of the first book, we certainly are left with unfathomable thoughts of... Who are these NAGAS Shiva is searching for? Are they really evil? Shiva does prove himself as an extraordinary human and a great warrior, but how is he going to (perceptibly) transform into a real MAHADEV(god of gods) ? What other mythological wonders are left for us to know(in the next book) for being born in this great COUNTRY?

I doubt whether I have done justice to the writing, the subject and writing is near to impeccable. It's just difficult to pick the best from a few hundred pages, will try and pick up some intensely meaningful dialogues to share(that made so much of perfect sense to me) in the next blog on "The Secret of Nagas" to get you the essence of it(soon..).