‘Mahagatha: 100 Tales from the Puranas’ book review: Lores of yore

Express News Service

In the beginning, there was nothing. Only the Parabrahman. It was the supreme principle that had no beginning and no end. The absolute reality that was utterly indescribable. The divine essence with infinite potential. The cause and the effect blended into one.”

Thus begins the first chapter, ‘Brahma Begins Creation’, of Satyarth Nayak’s Mahagatha: 100 Tales from the Puranas. This is followed by 99 chapters, arranged in chronological order, from the rest of the Puranas, the sacred texts that explain the philosophy of Hinduism through stories of origin, genealogies of deities and rulers, histories, and more. From the first sound—Om—through the emergence of the three gunas and the panch tattva or five elements, to Brahma, the Creator, Nayak traces the story of creation.

From here onwards, the chapters, each mostly three to five pages long, talk about many of the Hindu religion’s greatest stories: the churning of the Ksheersagar, the killing of Mahishasur, the avatars of Vishnu, Trishanku’s fall from the sky after aiming too high, Parvati’s long penance to attain Shiva, and many more.

There are some of Hinduism’s best-known and mostloved stories, such as the ones about Krishna’s birth, his taming of the vicious serpent Kalia, and his lifting of Govardhan on a fingertip. There are stories, too, that offer a peek into the Ramayana and Mahabharata, though Nayak does not dwell too heavily on either, instead preferring to simply illustrate those tales from the Puranas that have a bearing on or form part of the backstory for the two epics. For example, there is a story here that reveals the genesis of the curse on Rama that made him lose his beloved, lured away by another.

There are also stories featuring popular characters such as Arjuna, Jambavan, Garuda and Sudama. Included, too, are delightful myths that aim to explain what the ancients saw around them. For instance, there’s the story of how Dhruva became a star; or how the parijaat tree came down from heaven; how and why snakes have forked tongues, and why, by regularly shedding their skins, they show some degree of immortality.

Except for the first few chapters (which have little or no characters), Nayak uses plenty of dialogue. 
This is combined with snappy descriptions, to build narratives that are fast-paced, the suspense often building up to a gripping climax.

One of the best things about Mahagatha is the thought that has gone into choosing the stories for the collection. Besides the well-known myths, there are the ones few people know of, or know in entirety. The descent of Ganga from the heavens to Earth, her force controlled by Shiva’s locks, is a tale most Indians (not necessarily even Hindu) know of, but how many know that another major river, according to the Puranas, owes her origin to Shiva’s hair? And how many know of Maya Sita, the shadowy figure hovering in the background as Ravana, disguised as an ascetic, tried to lure Sita beyond the safe confines of the Lakshman rekha?

Another highlight of this selection, and of Nayak’s writing, is the way he uses conversations to touch upon the core message of a tale, or to explain something that might puzzle the average reader. For instance, in the ‘The Varaha Avatar’ (as in countless other tales from the Puranas), there’s a deity granting a critical boon to someone who’s done long penance for it, even though the person is not righteous. When questioned why, Brahma replies, “Unwavering effort cannot go unrewarded. It’s natural law.” And when asked what will happen if the boon itself is evil, he clarifies, “A boon is never good or evil. It’s simply an opportunity that empowers. How the seeker chooses to use it makes the difference.”

While being a readable and even entertaining set of stories, Mahagatha also manages to be thought-provoking: it is able to show readers the essence of Hinduism. The way one thing leads to another, how everything is tied together. How something that is preordained will happen, but if you throw your heart and mind into it, you may sway the gods themselves.

<br> In the beginning, there was nothing. Only the Parabrahman. It was the supreme principle that had no beginning and no end. The absolute reality that was utterly indescribable. The divine essence with infinite potential. The cause and the effect blended into one.”

Thus begins the first chapter, ‘Brahma Begins Creation’, of Satyarth Nayak’s Mahagatha: 100 Tales from the Puranas. This is followed by 99 chapters, arranged in chronological order, from the rest of the Puranas, the sacred texts that explain the philosophy of Hinduism through stories of origin, genealogies of deities and rulers, histories, and more. From the first sound—Om—through the emergence of the three gunas and the panch tattva or five elements, to Brahma, the Creator, Nayak traces the story of creation.

From here onwards, the chapters, each mostly three to five pages long, talk about many of the Hindu religion’s greatest stories: the churning of the Ksheersagar, the killing of Mahishasur, the avatars of Vishnu, Trishanku’s fall from the sky after aiming too high, Parvati’s long penance to attain Shiva, and many more.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

There are some of Hinduism’s best-known and mostloved stories, such as the ones about Krishna’s birth, his taming of the vicious serpent Kalia, and his lifting of Govardhan on a fingertip. There are stories, too, that offer a peek into the Ramayana and Mahabharata, though Nayak does not dwell too heavily on either, instead preferring to simply illustrate those tales from the Puranas that have a bearing on or form part of the backstory for the two epics. For example, there is a story here that reveals the genesis of the curse on Rama that made him lose his beloved, lured away by another.

There are also stories featuring popular characters such as Arjuna, Jambavan, Garuda and Sudama. Included, too, are delightful myths that aim to explain what the ancients saw around them. For instance, there’s the story of how Dhruva became a star; or how the parijaat tree came down from heaven; how and why snakes have forked tongues, and why, by regularly shedding their skins, they show some degree of immortality.

Except for the first few chapters (which have little or no characters), Nayak uses plenty of dialogue. 
This is combined with snappy descriptions, to build narratives that are fast-paced, the suspense often building up to a gripping climax.

One of the best things about Mahagatha is the thought that has gone into choosing the stories for the collection. Besides the well-known myths, there are the ones few people know of, or know in entirety. The descent of Ganga from the heavens to Earth, her force controlled by Shiva’s locks, is a tale most Indians (not necessarily even Hindu) know of, but how many know that another major river, according to the Puranas, owes her origin to Shiva’s hair? And how many know of Maya Sita, the shadowy figure hovering in the background as Ravana, disguised as an ascetic, tried to lure Sita beyond the safe confines of the Lakshman rekha?

Another highlight of this selection, and of Nayak’s writing, is the way he uses conversations to touch upon the core message of a tale, or to explain something that might puzzle the average reader. For instance, in the ‘The Varaha Avatar’ (as in countless other tales from the Puranas), there’s a deity granting a critical boon to someone who’s done long penance for it, even though the person is not righteous. When questioned why, Brahma replies, “Unwavering effort cannot go unrewarded. It’s natural law.” And when asked what will happen if the boon itself is evil, he clarifies, “A boon is never good or evil. It’s simply an opportunity that empowers. How the seeker chooses to use it makes the difference.”

While being a readable and even entertaining set of stories, Mahagatha also manages to be thought-provoking: it is able to show readers the essence of Hinduism. The way one thing leads to another, how everything is tied together. How something that is preordained will happen, but if you throw your heart and mind into it, you may sway the gods themselves.