Book Review - The Immortals of Meluah by Amish Tripathi

The Immortals of Meluah is certainly a page-turner. I could hardly put the book down. This first book in the the Shiva trilogy is about Lord Shiva depicted as man. I admire Amish’s confidence in beginning his debut book writing venture with a trilogy!

The novel chronicles the journey of Shiva, an extraordinary man, from his home at Mansarovar to the Meluhan Empire and the transformation in him that the move wrought. Shiva is portrayed as a chillum wielding, foul-mouthed man, with all human vulnerabilities, including fear of the unknown. He is, however, described as a man endowed with many skills, including warriorship, leadership, not to mention dancing.

Meluha, the land of the Suryavanshis, is depicted as Ramrajya, a utopian society that was established by Lord Ram himself. The laws laid down by Ram are sacrosanct in this society and all follow the laws devoutly. One overpowering tenet is that everyone be treated fairly and that all should work for the common good of the people. Simplicity and austerity is emphasized. Even the king’s palace is quite ordinary. The only places that seem magnificent and have striking architecture were the temples and other special common areas. Shiva, who comes from a land surrounded by hostile and greedy people, the Prakatis, is quite taken with the Meluhans for their honesty, their sincerity and their simple and congenial ways of living.

Shiva points out, however, that though it is an admirable society, it is not a perfect one. For instance, he is appalled by their treatment of vikramas. Vikramas were those on whom some terrible misfortune befell, like a dreadful disease or bearing a still born child etc. It was considered a result of their sins from past lives. They were kept secluded like untouchables, for it was believed that their ways decisions would be colored by the adversity that they were facing. Shiva wants to abolish this law, for he felt it was unfair to punish people who were already grief-stricken. That the love of his life, Sati, is also labeled a vikarma, sticks in his craw.

Shiva realizes that the Meluhans had invited him and his tribesmen to their land in their quest for Neelkanth, the savior who would lead them to victory against the Chandravanshis, their evil neighbors. The Meluhans find that Shiva passes all the tests for a savior,  and revere him as God. One of the key tests was that after they administered somras, the elixir of life, his throat had turned a bright blue. Shiva is uncomfortable with people putting him on a pedestal for reason that seemed illogical and is skeptical about his ability to fulfill the task that the Meluhans had assigned to him.

With his alertness, sharp intellect, and his elan, he saves the life of the Meluhan princess Sati a  couple of times, beats a bunch of terrorists for the first time in Meluhan history. Ultimately with his strategy and keen sense of warriorship, he fulfills the hopes of the Meluhans by winning the war against the “evil” Chandravanshis who were equipped with a much larger army.

He soon realizes that the Chandravanshis are not evil at all, just different. They value independent thinking and creativity and hence have a much less restrictive set of laws. They are a passionate about what they say and do and encourage individuals to grow and become free spirited. Though he sees abject poverty and squalor in their land, he is deeply touched by an unexpected show of kindness and humanity by an extremely poor and sick person. He is subsumed with the guilt for killing thousands of Chandravanshis, with the belief that they were evil, just because the Meluhans had told him so. At the Ram temple in Ayodhya, a holy man tells Shiva that everyone makes mistakes unknowingly and he should not wallow in the past. But, it is his duty to rise to be a Mahadev and recognize that which is really evil and lead men against it, before evil raises its ugly head and extinguishes all life. The first of the trilogy ends with this mission assigned to Shiva.

Now, about the author and some nuggets from the book -------------------

Amish Tripathi, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, who worked in the financial industry for fourteen years, seems to have found his ultimate calling. The book reads like it was written by a well versed consummate author. His intelligence and his humor shone all through the book. By making it contemporary, it helped current generation relate to the mythology of yore. Though the book may be perceived as irreverent by some, the underlying story is compelling and is filled with freshness and sparkle.

Here are some highlights that I specially appreciated:

1.      The first and foremost is the concept of Har har Mahadev. I burst out laughing when I read this piece, for I found the play on words humorous. Shiva, quite unsure of his role as a Mahadev, is all set to lead the war against the Chandravanshis. He decides to take advantage of the appellation “Mahadev” and give a rousing speech  to the warriors, as they set out to fight the war. “A man becomes a Mahadev, only when he fights for good” he says. “A Mahadev is not born from his mother's womb. He is forged in the heat of battle, when he wages a war to destroy evil. Har Har Mahadev - All of us are Mahadev.” It took a few moments for the depth of this speech to strike me. He had asked each one to look for the God within himself! Indeed a clever play on words. I know I will be smiling every time I hear the chant “Har Har Mahadeva”.

2.      Each of Shiva’s meetings with the temple priests was a nugget in itself. They were steeped in philosophy and profundity. For example, the priest asking Shiva to ponder over the color of a leaf from the perspective of the leaf itself. What color does the leaf absorb and which one does it reject? Is its color green? Or is it every single color in the world, except green?’ This illustration underscored that depending on perspectives, perceptions could be diametrically opposite.

In another instance, when Shiva despaired over Sati’s cold shoulder, the priest asked him to drop the supercilious attitude towards Sati. He advised him to understand her better from the way she deals with people around her. He makes Shiva realize that what she expects from people around her, is respect.

In yet another meeting, a priest tells him that the difference of opinion between two dissimilar ways of life get portrayed as a fight between good and evil. Just because the Chandravanshis are different from the Suryavanshis doesn’t mean that they are evil. Though steeped in simplicity, this statement exemplifies a fundamental truth that is so relevant even for the current times.

In another incident, in response to Shiva calling the temple God “your” God, the priest says “All godliness comes from the same source. Just the manifestations are different.” Again, words of wisdom - these.

In one of the meetings, the priest explains the reason for observing vikarma saying that if a maladjusted victim is allowed a position of influence, it may lead to destruction. He quoted the influence that Manthara, who suffered physical deformities, was accorded in the Ramayana and the outcome of her ill-placed advice. This one got me thinking, but I cannot buy this argument.

3.      I found the logical exchanges between Shiva and the chief scientist Brahaspati quite inspiring. In particular, I found the theory behind somras interesting. Brahaspati explains that though oxygen is essential for life, as it converts food into energy, it releases oxidants that cause harm to the body, much like oxygen causes iron to rust. Brahaspati also theorizes that the body is aware of this and that is why it does not store extra amounts of oxygen, while it stores other life essentials like food and water.

To inhibit the oxidation within the body, the Suryavanshis had concocted an elixir called somras. By preventing oxidation, it enabled its consumers to stay younger and free of diseases. We know that mythology talks about somras and its properties. Equating it to an antioxidant was an interesting theory.

Current day article about the oxidation process in humans states that it is an important cause and consequence of many diseases. Hence, the use of antioxidants is intensely studied, to minimize diseases and extend life. Furthermore, somras is often equated to wine in current days. Again, it has been scientifically established that red wine contains antioxidants that may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of "good" cholesterol and protecting against artery damage, thereby extending life.

4.      The love story of Shiva and Sati is also very well narrated, the palpable reality of which moves the reader to tears in some instances. The unrelenting resolve by Shiva to make Sati his life partner and Sati’s struggle with even considering such a proposition, given her vikrama status, the ultimate victory of love over all adversities, and the union of these two in a happy marriage is a highlight of the novel.

Doubt?? I thought Daksha disliked Shiva and was not in favor of his daughter Sati marrying him at all. He had deliberately not invited Shiva to a great sacrifice that he had planned etc.? Amish’s story talks about Daksha wishing the union of Sati and Shiva from the beginning. I do not understand that aspect.