The Seeds of War- Book Review

This is simply the Mahabharata of Krishna Dweipayana-Vyasa retold by one man

That man is me, of course
-Ashok K Banker
It is a herculean task to reproduce something as beautiful and intriguing like the Mahabharata
Ive read Rajajis take on this epic, K.M.Munshis tales of Krishna and several Amar Chitra Kathas.
I read and re-read these stories, and they seem fresh, every time I read them
Ashok K Bankers The Seeds of war follows in the list of such books.
He has done complete justice in retelling these wonderful tales.
The writing style is lucid and keeps the reader glued to the pages.
The Mahabharata, with its numerous characterizations is a difficult tale to retell and the authors
efforts in maintaining the essence of the original in this reproduction is commendable.
Kudos.
The Part 2 of the MahaBharatA series begins with The Heartbreak of Devayani and narrates her story,
beginning with her love for a Brahmin boy Kacha, her humiliation at being rejected, her revenge on
Sharmishta the kings daughter, her tryst with Raja Yayati, her marriage to him and proceeds to the events
following the curse on Yayati.
There are erudite sequences which describe the Life after death. They provide an understanding of the process
from the perspective of the scriptures.
Such explanations are rarely portrayed in books which retell the tale and sound fresh.
The tale continues to describe the love between Shantanu and Goddess Ganga and the sequences which follow
the birth of Bhishma- the Godfather.
It ends with the Elders making arrangements to sustain the Puru Dynasty and climaxes with the prophesy by
Vyasa.
This book is indeed one of those precious books, especially if you are not well versed in Sanskrit to
appreciate the original.
Crux:
There isnt much of a review that you can do to a book which narrates stories that have stood the
test of time.
These stories have for long remained the best entertainers, not just by the mere term of it, but in
every sense.
Like the author himself points out, there isnt anything that is there in this world, which isnt, in
this Epic.
Such is the greatness of these tales and reviewing the stories for their content would be nothing
less than stupidity.
You can merely appreciate the author for his effort; sit back and enjoy the lazy Sunday afternoon
pouring over this book, like I did.
(Review above assumes the readers knowledge of the characters of the Mahabharata. For the uninitiated, you
can do one of the two, preferably the second:
1. Wikipedia
2. Grab the MBA series by Ashok Banker)
P.S:
This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!