A Review: RAMAYANA - THE GAME OF LIFE : RISE OF THE SUN PRINCE (BOOK 1)


Just finished reading the book, Ramayana, by Shubha Vilas. Let me write a bit about the author before I write something about the book and the contents. 

Shubha Vilas, a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker, holds a degree in engineering and law with specialization in Patent Law. His leadership seminars are popular with top-level management in corporate houses. He also helps individuals deal with modern-life situations by applying the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and other dharmic traditions. 

 Shubha Vilas began his career with the Tata Group and later joined the international law firm in Bangalore which he quit to serve the society at large by taking charge of a publishing house Tulsi Books which has published over 10 books under his leadership.

 When I got the book, I was quite impressed by the cover design. Turning the pages, I slowly read each and every word, including, yes the information about the publisher. I do that with every book. It is like enjoying every morsel of food kept in front of you. A book holds so much promise, so many intricacies, and like a lotus flower opens up itself when an eager reader wishes to get knowledge. Likewise, the book gave me a very different take on the story, which I would have read so many times, seen televised versions of umpteen times. Still, the story seemed fresh, new. The story of a prince and his consort. 

 Though it is mentioned that it is Book 1, and the story is about the Bala Kandam, but, each section, each chapter has been written with a lot of care and with a lot of devotion. I truly believe that such a piece of work needs the blessing of a superior being, much more powerful than us. Sri Shubha Vilas has brought the story of Lord Rama into our daily lives in a way that people like me who would typically brush it off as old-fashioned or even irrelevant, would understand the usefulness of lessons from the story of the Prince Rama and Sita. 

 The beauty of this book is that Vilas has taken an epic and turned into this sweet and beautiful story, which even a common person can understand and appreciate. I have read a few other versions that are so complicated that unless you are a serious student of philosophy, you would just want to drop out. I noticed that there is no boring rhetoric and gives nice and enjoyable descriptions of the Lord. 

 This is the book you must pick up if you want to tell the story of the great Prince to your kids or someone who is uninitiated to the world of Dasaratha, Sita, Rama, his brothers and so on. 

 There are little details that are very intriguing like: Ayodhya followed the process of rain harvesting ages before the modern guys discovered it. I just loved the one-liners! The book is written with a lot of wit and humor. This book tells you the story of Lord Rama from his birth till his marriage to Princes Sita. The story is woven in a beautiful way with analogies from Kamba Ramayana and taking a lot of inputs from Valmiki Ramayana.        

 Having said this, I am eagerly waiting for Book 2. This book is part of the six-part series, each dealing with one Khanda.    

 Here are some details about the book: 

 Publisher : Jaico Publishing House
Binding : Paperback
Number Of Pages : 256

Language : English

 Available online and in book stores. Pick up a copy and enjoy reading!  

 Rating: 4.75/5  

 This review is a part of the biggest http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews" target="_blank"> Book Review Program for http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!     

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