Reading about mythology in not-so-literary and serious manner has become a new cool for me. I remember my father gifting me a book on Mahabharata when I was child and I didn’t pick it up till date just because of its difficult vocabulary. But, since Amish Tripathi has come up with his Shiva trilogy, I have gone crazy about such books on mythology which are written in an easy to go language which believes in sharing the story and tale rather than improving our language. One such powerful book I read on the life of Lord Krishna is “Yug Purush” written by Savita Singh and published by Rupa publications.
To begin with, the cover page and overall aesthetic of the book is very beautiful and serene which compels you to pick it up above any other book. Yug Purush is the complete life story of Lord Krishna who is depicted as a simple human being with extra ordinary powers which made him special. Initially, the book seems to be boring as authoress take some time in building up the story and describing Krishna as we know him. As soon as those incidents begin with which we start feeling the connection with the character of the protagonist, the book becomes interesting. The book gives perspective of Krishna as a King and I had never read the tales which are mentioned about him of those times. It is interesting to read the many kind of decisions that Krishna took as a king for his people and kingdom.
The relationship of Krishna with Pandavas and Kauravas is very nicely portrayed which helps us to understand how he was connected with them and why he was involved throughout the proceedings that took place between the cousins. The way Krishna helped Pandavas before war with the Swayamwars, decision-making incidents, marriage etc. makes the read interesting as I have generally read only about the Bhagavad Geeta part mainly. Later on, the role of Krishna in the war and its arrangement is what makes the experience of reading the 2nd half of the book very thrilling and exciting. There is an adrenaline rush regularly while reading those parts where Krishna is regularly on toes and keeps on changing plans every now and then by right and wrong means to ensure that the righteous party wins the war.
The way even the wrong means of Krishna are discussed makes the book interesting as there is reason given for the same regularly without making you disbelieve in the character of Krishna ever. Even the anger of Krishna on certain incidents is nicely narrated as the way character of Krishna is developed, it becomes difficult to imagine him getting angry, frustrated or irritated but the authoress has played her part well. The ending of the book is also closed with such powerful tone that you just keep on thinking about it even after turning the last page. You just can’t believe this can happen with Krishna. Another thing that I would like to appreciate about authoress is wonderful editing of the book and ensuring it ends in one book itself rather than stretching it for trilogy or 5-book series.
Talking about the drawbacks of the book now: - As the focus of the author is on Krishna, all the other characters are not developed the way he is done hence you can’t connect with anyone else. Sadly, not even with Arjun. Krishna’s multiple marriages are discussed too much in the 1st half. The part when Krishna conversed with Arjun in the middle of the war ground is ended without even giving it a proper chapter hence excluding the Bhagavad Gita section completely. This disappointed me a lot. Also, the spiritual part of Krishna isn’t much explored in the book. Because Krishna is in focus, many important events of Mahabharata is also out of the scope of this book.
Overall, this book is a beautiful read and gives you peaceful feeling post completing the same. I give this book 4 stars out of 5.
Thanks.
ABHILASH RUHELA
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