CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

The study of popular literature has gained importance since the advent of postmodernism and
today the line between serious and popular literature is blurred. Popular literature has been
accepted as a noteworthy expression of people’s reading interests as well as a distinctive field
of literary creativity. It is no longer rejected as trash. In this scenario it becomes important to
look critically at some of the most significant contemporary Indian English popular texts. The
focus of the present discussion is mainly on myth as it has been used by contemporary Indian
popular writers. Myth has always given creative impetus to the authors over the ages.

The Indian literary market is dominated today by novels dealing with the mythical past.
These novels often rework the Indian myths creatively to address contemporary concerns as
well as eternal human issues. This reworking of mythological subject matter through new
modes of expression has proved to be an effective strategy that connects one to the cultural
past on the one hand and helps to assert the present cultural and socio-political identity on the
other. Some of today’s most popular contemporary authors are reworking the Indian
mythological subject matter to make significant expressions that are an essential part of the
contemporary Indian literature in English.

The trend of successful novels having mythological content started in 2003 with Ashok
Banker’s bestselling eight-volume Ramayana Series. The international acclaim received by
Banker and the commercial success of his novels indicated the interest of the people in the
mythical past. Many novels followed the tradition started by Banker and today, the novels
that are retellings of the Indian mythological stories top the charts. Among the texts
considered in the foregoing discussion, Amish Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy is the most popular. It
comprises of The Immortals of Meluha (2010), The Secret of the Nagas (2011) and The Oath
of the Vayuputras (2013).

Amish Tripathi is a brilliant Indian English writer who has achieved fame and fortune for his
Shiva Trilogy. He is admired for his sincerity, solemnity and simplicity of theme and
technique. He has become eminent for his fascinating fabrication of myth and history,
spirited narrative style, and magnificent treatment of sublime subjects. According to Shashi
Tharoor, ―Amish is a fresh new voice in Indian writing-steeped in myth and history, with a
fine eye for detail and a compelling narrative style. The Immortals of Meluha, Tripathi's first
novel and the first in the Shiva Trilogy, was published in February 2010. The second book in
the series, The Secret of the Nagas, was released on 12 August 2011, and the third instalment,
titled The Oath of the Vayuputras, was released on 27 February 2013. The trilogy is a fantasy
re-imagining of the Indian deity Shiva's life and adventures. “My story comes from the
Upanishads,” he says. Traditional discourse has its grand style of myth making. But his
trilogy strips the myth of that old-world resonance. His gods are humanised, and his language
is zippy, racy and snappy. Tripathi's Shiva smokes marijuana and exclaims "What the bloody
hell!" and even "Shit!" He is a Tibetan immigrant who has come down from the shores of the
Mansarovar to become the saviour of the Sapt Sindhu. Tripathi's Ram, in the new book Scion
of Ikshvaku, released on 22 June 2015, is a young boy who tries to win the affections of his
father. Tripathi humanises Shiva and Ram before deifying them; their world teeming with
details from rituals, philosophy, science, technology, legend and lore. Publishers rejected The
Immortals of Meluha more than twenty times. Almost every publisher sent it back saying,
―Nobody is interested in religion. One of them asked for a love story. Another wanted him
to cut out all the ―boring, frustrating philosophy. It is true that he has presented the
philosophy of religion but that in order to recreate Shiva as the destroyer of evil: “A man
becomes a Mahadev when he fights for good. A Mahadev is not born as one from his
mother‘s womb. He is forged in the heat of battle, when he wages a war to destroy evil.”

Shiva’s crusade is against the manifestations of evil. Though the book seems to be an
adventure story it has philosophic speculations on evil: ‘“….Many wars have been fought
against men’, said the Pandit. ‘And many more will be fought in the future. That is the way of
the world. But it is only a Mahadev who can convert one of these wars into a battle between
good and evil. It is only the Mahadev who can recognise evil and then lead men against it.
Before evil raises its ugly head and extinguishes all life’.”

Amish have absolutely romanticized Shiva in his trilogy. In the Immortals of Meluha, Shiva
is a brave tribal warrior who has no clue about his role as the ‘Destroyer of the evil’, who
falls in love with a woman like any other man and tries to woo her. He becomes the hero that
people worship, isn’t born with enlightenment. Amish carefully made additions to the already
known fact about various Gods for example why Ganesha has an elephant head. There are
folklores that say different stories about it but Amish chose his own way of explaining it
which makes him stand out. Interestingly, the writing changed Amish from atheist to Shiva
devotee. He confesses: “I turned atheist in the 90s when India went through troubled times —
communal riots, bomb blasts... Mumbai where I live was badly affected. I blamed religion,
also extremists on both sides — right and left. Writing the books pulled me back from
disbelief.”

Amish Tripathi grew up near Rourkela, Odisha. He is an alumnus of St. Xavier's College,
Mumbai and Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. Although originally he wanted to be a
historian, he chose a career in finance because he couldn't afford the former. He worked for
14 years in the financial services industry, in companies such as Standard Chartered, DBS
Bank and IDBI Federal Life Insurance, before starting his writing career. He was born into a
very religious family with a lot of knowledge about mythology, which eventually proved to
be a good thing for him. His grandfather was a teacher and a Pandit at Benares. Both his
parents are very religious. He was surrounded by a lot of religious people. Another good
thing for him was that they also had a liberal take on mythology. They used to talk
about myths, various aspects of Hindu philosophy; but Amish learnt all of it from a very
liberal perspective. He was never taught things like one religion is better than another.

Amish Tripathi has been awarded the Society Young Achievers Award for Literature in 2013.
He has recently been listed as one of India's "New Icons" by the DNA newspaper in its eighth
anniversary special.

Other Notable Awards include:

Communicator of the Year Award 2014
Man of the Year 2013 by Radio One
Pride of India 2014
India's First Literary Popstar 2015
50 Most Influential Young Indians

Forbes India has ranked him among the top 100 celebrities in India four times in a row (2012,
2013, 2014 and 2015).

Footnote:-

1. http://ajms.co.in/sites/ajms2015/index.php/ajms/article/view/1559

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish_Tripathi
 CHAPTER 2

AMISH AS WRITER OF SHIVA TRILOGY

In his words, “It began as a pure philosophical thesis. A thesis on what is evil and that got
converted into an adventure to convey that philosophy. And if you have to write an adventure
to convey a philosophy on evil, well then the best hero is the destroyer of evil himself, Lord
Shiva. And having said that, one must also say he’s a very exciting god to write about even in
his traditional form. He’s a very democratic god, he never talks down to his devotees, and he
treats his wife with respect – something which many men, frankly, across the world can learn
from. He’s a brilliant dancer, he is the god of dance, he is a brilliant musician, he’s the god of
music as well, he drinks bhang, he smokes marijuana, and he’s a fierce warrior. With due
respect to other gods, Lord Shiva is a very cool god; he’s a fun character to write about.”
Amish’s universe is rooted in Indic mythology, with a twist: What if our “gods” were human
beings who walked the earth, had to face the vicissitudes of society, and had to fight against
extreme odds to win the eternal battle between Right and Wrong?

In an interview, Amish said that his first book in Shiva trilogy, ‘The Immortals of Meluha’,
actually started as a philosophy book about 7 to 8 years back. Before that, he had no
experience of writing a fiction or any sort of story. It was while watching a historical TV
programme with his family he discovered something interesting. We are well aware that for
ancient Indians, the Gods were called Devas and the demons were called Asuras. What we
didn’t know was that for ancient Persians, Gods were called Ahuras and Demons were
called Daevas. It was just the opposite. It was then that a realization dawned upon him that
had the ancient Indians and Persians would have met; they would have probably been calling
each other Evil. So who would be right? The Indians or the Persians? The correct answer will
be neither of them! Which then brought him to the next obvious question – what is evil? It
was then that he came up with the idea of approaching this question from a philosophical
point of view. He discussed this with his family and they suggested him to write it down.
When he did, it was more of a philosophy thesis than a book. When he gave this book to his
family they found it quite boring, lacking the elements to grab a readers’ attention. So, his
brother and sister-in-law gave him some good advice and suggested that he should try and
write it as a thriller, as an adventure and let the philosophy come along with that. And that’s
how he came up with the idea of writing The Shiva trilogy.
Amish Tripathi’s captivating debut novel, a mythological fiction at that, The Immortals of
Meluha, set in 1900BC, is about Shiva and how he became a god. He’s a tribal immigrant in
Meluha, the people of which have been waiting for centuries for the Neelkanth, their saviour.

The book, first in the Shiva Trilogy, charts out Shiva’s life as a Guna tribe leader from the
time he leaves his war-mongering homeland near the Mansarovar Lake till he leads the
Meluhans into a successful war. There’s the Suryavanshis on one side. They are the
descendants of Lord Ram, living in Meluha, the almost perfect empire created by Ram
himself. The people here are obsessed with hygiene and are masters in the field of town
planning, medicine and warfare. And then there’s Chandravanshis, beyond the Yamuna, who
are followers of the moon. They are the exact opposite: lovers of all things dandy, whether
it’s the orange walls of their houses or the unscrupulous goings-on of its people.

The battle between the two peoples is compared to the one between the Asuras and Deva, and
the ever raging one between good and evil. The Meluhans have many perils to deal with –
Chandravanshis are supposedly conducting hit-and-run terror attacks on them with the aid of
the cursed Nagas. One of the ingredients of the Somras (drink of the gods), the waters of the
sacred Saraswati, is drying up.

The Somras is given to all immigrants on entry into Meluha. And on drinking his share,
Shiva’s throat turns blue, among other developments. At first Shiva refuses to accept his
destiny – he has his own demons to battle. This “simple Tibetan tribal”, as the story gathers
momentum and Meluhans, the faith, turns out to be the Messiah of Meluha. Shiva is drawn to
take up the challenge more so because of a childhood incident where he didn’t do anything to
help a pleading lady, which troubles him throughout the whole series. He is never able to
overcome this inner demon of his. He feels that it was his fault that the helpless lady died
even though his loved ones always tried to tell him that there was nothing he could have
done. This guilt and remorse always remains and eats him up from inside. This immense guilt
is what makes him believe that he is unfit to be a Mahadev, lest be a saviour.

His having a blue throat means that every word and act of his will be judged by the people.
Sometimes, Shiva looks very much a human. Especially when he says things such as,
“bloody hell” and “son of a b****”, or smokes up marijuana. But that in effect is what makes
this book believable. The highly slangish language used by Shiva and his smart-alecky
mannerisms give him a totally contemporary feel, like he lives in this decade or so. Readers
will be able to identify with their god, and the concept that he was just another person, who,
because of his ability to take up any task and lead a million people, became a legend, a
Mahadev.

Sati, daughter of King Daksha, the ruler of the Suryavanshis, is a powerful character in the
story. She’s a vikarma, someone who’s a near outcast because of her past life’s sins. But
she’s not the kind of outcast who sits around doing nothing but sob over her fate. She’s
strong, bull-headed at times and a very compassionate person. Shiva, who fell in love with
her the moment he set eyes on her, tries many ways to woo her. After a couple of sad and
unsuccessful attempts, and with the advice from a Pandit, he realises that giving someone
what they desire most is what should be done. In Sati’s case it was respect. Something society
never gave her. Shiva gives her the respect she deserves and we see a very willing Sati fall
for him.

Nandi, whom we know as a bull and Lord Shiva’s vehicle, is a strong character in the plot.
Although he’s just a captain in the Meluhan army, he comes up the rung, especially because
of his truthfulness to Shiva and his affection that makes him Shiva’s aide. Shiva’s best friend
and guide, Bhadra, too, is an important character. Brahaspati is the chief scientist of the
empire and becomes Shiva’s trusted friend. Brahaspati, though unbelieving in the legend of
the Neelkanth, feels that Shiva can deliver his people, and is so attached to Shiva that he
swears that he’d go to Patallok, if necessary, for him. Throughout the story, Shiva’s followers
increases gradually, including the once-distant Parvateshwar, the chief of the Meluhan army.
It is interesting to note how Shiva never thrusts himself on to others to believe him to be their
savour. He actually dislikes to be called the saviour, the Neelkanth. He hates the fact that
people see him as some kind of god. Situations unravel where Shiva’s skill in warfare and
administration is duly recognized and lauded.

There are some stunning portrayals in the book: the duel or the agnipariksha between Sati-
Tarak – eighty-five years of shame and angst that Sati suffered is translated into one quick
slash of her knife, and her consequently forgiving her opponent; then there’s the possible
Shiva-Sati union which Sati compares to that of the Sun-Earth relation, where the Earth,
knowing that the Sun is meant for the whole solar system, keeps her place without wishing
the Sun for herself; and, of course, in the last chapter where Shiva finds comfort in the
Ramjanmabhoomi Temple and comes to certain realisations regarding his and his people’s
destiny.
Some parts of the book read like a movie script. But, I feel this particular feature is what
makes it interesting, especially the war scenes. If Tripathi had simply narrated the war and
fight scenes in the book just like a history textbook does, it would’ve fallen flat. By giving it
a movie script feel, he has taken it beyond the level of shoving plain historical facts to the
reader and made it a thrilling experience to read. The book itself was launched with a
YouTube trailer, one of first Indian authors to do so. And the book has all necessities for a
brilliant movie.

Tripathi, a 35-year-old IIM-graduate working with IDBI, writes lucidly, and his usage of
terse sentences makes the book an easy read. Historical information is merged into the plot,
without them sticking out. His extensive research has definitely helped him put together this
thriller of a book. If I had to pick out a line from the novel I like best it’d be Shiva’s very
words that “every person is a Mahadev.” It rings true in the current scenario of life, too. As
individuals, we face many problems, and instead of waiting for a saviour to come and clear us
of our troubles, we ourselves should work towards it. As a famous saying goes, ‘God help
those who helps themselves.’

The Shiva Trilogy is one of the few modern novels that had something worthwhile to say
about the caste system. Amish very strongly believes that the caste system – a hierarchy
system based on birth – is pure evil. So he tries to make a statement on this in the book. For
instance, the caste system was initially meant for making the workings of the society easy by
dividing people into sections, depending on the jobs they did. But as time wore on, people
used this to exploit others. And later, it became hereditary.

The book is a turning point for the author himself, who isn’t much of a religious person. He
says he is still sceptical of many things religious but has found solace in a supreme power. He
himself, through the course of writing this book, has found the divinity in Shiva.

When usual books start with a pulling first sentence and end with calm all’s-well-that-ends-
well chapters, Tripathi starts his with a contemplative Shiva at the serene lake and ends the
book with a loud cry from Shiva and a dangling sentence that makes the reader wait for the
next book in the series.
Footnotes:-

1. www.jirasindia.com/Publication/Vol-1-Iss-6/JJH-001-2015-FP.pdf

2. http://www.sparkthemagazine.com/?p=2199
 CHAPTER 3
AMISH’S RECREATION/RETELLING/RECONSTRUCTION
OF MYTHS

Amish recreates the myth of Shiva, Ganesha, Sati and Kali through his study of all spheres of
Indian life and literature. He makes Shiva myth appealing and intelligible to the modern
mind. Those who still keep the oral tradition alive through chanting and singing of hymns and
folk songs deserve gratitude and admiration of young generation. At the same time, there is
also a need to understand and reinterpret its meaning. Recitation without knowledge of its
meaning does not enlighten one. Amish insist to engage oneself in action because actions
purify as knowledge liberates. Through recreation, 'The Shiva Trilogy" becomes living
inspirational scripture capable of providing spiritual direction in the modern world. The blend
of science and religion, history and myth, actual geography and imagination, valour and
weaknesses, manliness and divinity, a hero unaware of future, a realistic presentation of
mystery and adventure…. makes the reading of trilogy- The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret
of Nagas and The Oath of Vayuputras- a thrilling experience. Lord Brahma and Shiva’s effort
to keep Ganga safe, pure and the ban on the production of Somras are relevant. Amish have
touched every character and place in the series with a humanistic approach. In his recreation
of the story Amish is proved contemporary.

3.1. Science in Shiva Trilogy: A number of scientists in the name of rishis, their knowledge
of Somras and Daivi Astras has been so scientifically explained in the novels that modern
scientists might wonder. “So what did Lord Brahma do?” asked Shiva. “After a lot of
research, Lord Brahma invented the Somras, which consumed, reacts with oxidants, absorbs
them and then expels them from the body as sweat or urines. Because of the Somras, there
are no oxidants left in the body.” “Yes. That’s why all Meluhans are taught about two things
from a young age-water and hygiene. Water is the cleanest absorber of the effluents that the
Somras generates and excretes as toxins. Meluhans bathe at least twice a day. All ablutions
are done in specific rooms and underground drains then safely carry the waste out of the city.
“Manufacturing the Somras is not without its fair share of difficulties. It requires various
ingredients that are not easily available, for example, the Sanjeevani trees. The manufacturing
procedure also generates a lot of heat. So we have to use lot of water during the processing to
keep the mixture stable. Also, the crushed branches of the Sanjeevani tree have to be churned
with the waters of the Saraswati River before processing begins. Water from other sources
doesn’t work”. In the concept of Neelkanth, the blue colour symbolizes slow poison or the
negative thoughts. The same in the neck indicates that the poison is neither to be drunk nor to
be spitted out but to be kept in the throat temporarily so that it can be neutralized at
appropriate time. The well described slow poisons are attachments, anger, greed, desires and
ego. (Kama, Lobha, Moha and Ahankaar). The root cause of anger is non-fulfilment of
desires. Anger in turn can be expressive or suppressive. Expressed anger will lead to
aggressive behaviour and results in social unhealthiness. It can also rupture a heart blockage
and precipitating a heart attack or rupture of a blood vessel in the brain leading the brain
haemorrhage. Suppressed anger on the other hand will release chemicals in the body leading
to illness like acidity, asthma and diarrhoea and cholesterol deposition in the blood vessels
leading to future blockages. One can manage anger with taking the right and not the
convenient action, neutralizing anger by willful cultivation of opposite positive thoughts etc.
For example the process of silently passing on love to any individual can take away the angry
thoughts from the mind. This way, Amish points out science at every step in Shiva Trilogy.
In the production of Somras, hygiene, civilized way of house construction, the concept of
Neelkanth, deformities of people whom we today worship as Gods with extraordinary power.
All the miracles are seen with scientific objectivity.

3.2. Naga concept: We have been listening to stories of Ganesh in all the corners of India.
But the concept of Ganesh as belonging to Nagas, with his abnormal features is something
different that Amish has taken. Amish has shown Nagas as mutants in his books. Ganesh is
the son of Sati and her first husband, Chandandhvaj. Sati’s parents, as the child had abnormal
features, threw it in river and told Sati that her child is still-born. She gets the news at the
same time that her husband is also dead. But later when Shiva leaves in search of Nagas, the
terrorists as said by King Dakhsa, the father of Sati; it was explored that Nagas are the
victims of polluted water, caused by the production of Samaras. And Ganesh, Sati’s elder
sister Kali are also among them. The excessive and regular uses of Somras lead to sterility in
some Meluhans. The realization of this fact leads to Shiva’s war against the evil, the
production of Somras.

3.3. The Concept of OM and Nagas: Amish’s The Shiva Trilogy reconciles the commonalities
and differences of philosophies of the Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism. Both accept dharma as
the moral law of universe that accounts for these eternal cycles of nature as well as the
destiny of human soul in its evolution. In The Immortals of Meluha, this commonality is
rendered through the essence of the universe of Om. Its meaning is further deepened by the
Indian philosophical belief that God first created sound and the universe arose from it. As the
most sacred sound, Om is the root of the universe and everything that exists in the universe
and it also continues to hold everything together. Amish Tripathi gives a humanistic
explanation of the significance of the word: -

Picking up a palm-leaf booklet and the thin charcoal writing stick from the side table, Shiva
drew the symbol Om. Nandi frowned. “That is an ancient symbol that some people used for
the word AUM.” But AUM? Asked Shiva. “My Lord, Aum is the holiest word in our religion.
It is considered the primeval sound of nature. The hymn of the universe. It was so holy that
for many millennia, most people would not insult it by putting down in written form.’ ‘Then
how did this symbol come about?’ ‘It was devised by Lord Bharat, a great ruler who had
conquered practically all of India many thousands of years ago. A rare Chandravanshi who
was worth respecting, he had even married a Suryavanshi princess with the aim of ending
our perpetual war.’ (…..) ‘Well, King Bharat created this symbol of unity between the
Suryavanshis and the Chandravanshis. The top half in white represents the Chandravanshis.
The bottom half in red represents the Suryavanshis. The amalgam of these is the emergent
common path represented in orange. The crescent moon to the right of the symbol was the
pre-existing Chandravanshi symbol. And the sun above it was the pre-existing Suryavanshi
symbol. In order to signify that this was a pact blessed by the gods, Lord Bharat mandated
the representation of this symbol as the holy word Aum.’ ‘And then what happened?’ ‘As
expected, the pact died along with the good king. (….)’ ‘But the symbol on the bracelet of this
hooded man was not coloured. It was all black. And the parts of the symbol didn’t look like
lines to me. They looked like a drawing of three serpents.’

‘Naga!’ exclaimed a shocked Nandi. ‘They are cursed people, my lord,’ gasped Nandi. They
are born with hideous deformities because of the sins of their previous births. Deformities
like extra hands or horribly misshapen faces. But they have tremendous strength and skills.
The Naga name alone strikes terror in any citizen’s heart. They are not even allowed to live
in the Sapt Sindhu.’(57-58 The Immortals of Meluha) Later in The Secret of Nagas it is
revealed that the lady with extra hands (one of with such deformity) among the Nagas is Kali.
Wide ears and long nosed child is Ganesh. He slowly bent down to pick it up. It was a
bracelet made of leather, burnt at the edges, its back-hold destroyed. The crimson hue of the
setting sun caused the Aum symbol to glow. At the amalgam of the top and bottom curve of
the Aum were two serpent heads. The third curve, surging out to the east, ended in a sharp
serpent head, with its forked tongue striking out threateningly. (308 The Immortals of
Meluha) Sati took a closer look at the coin. It had the face of a strange man with a crown on
his head. Strange, because unlike a Naga, he had no deformity. ‘He looks like a king of some
kind,’ said Sati, wiping some blood off her mouth. ‘But look at these odd markings,’ said
Shiva as he flipped the coin. It had a small symbol of a horizontal crescent moon. But the
bizarre part was the network of lines running across the coin. Two crooked lines joined in the
middle in the shape of an irregular cone and then they broke up into a spidery network. “I can
understand the moon. But what do these lines symbolize?’ asked Sati. Find the Nagas. They
are your path to discovering evil. Find the Nagas (10, 11. The Secret of Nagas) So, the above
dialogues show two different opinions about the concept of Aum. The symbol of Aum is
connected to the life of Nagas.

3.4. Sura and Asura concepts: In the following dialogues, Amish brings two different
ideologies on sura and asura concepts of Parihans and Meluhans. Gopal glanced at Shiva
conspiratorially. ‘Before you answer, know this that in the old Parihan language, there was
no place for the production and perception of the phonetic sound “s”. It either became “sh”
or “h”. So, what do you think they called their gods?’ Shiva frowned, making a wild guess,
‘Ahuras?’ ‘Yes, Ahuras’. ‘Good Lord! What were their demons called then?’ ‘Daevas’. ‘By
the exact opposite of the Indian pantheon. We call gods Devas and demons Asuras.’ Shiva
smiled slightly. “They’re different, but they’re not evil’. (372) ‘The Asuras took refuge here?
Asked Shiva. Still in shock. “Yes, Lord Rudra himself brought the few surviving Asura
leaders to Pariha. Others, who were in hiding, were led out of India by the Vayuputras. Some
Asuras went farthest. (…) he found that a few of the Asuras were not detached enough to
become members of the Vayuputras tribe. They were allowed to live in Pariha as refugees.’
(371 The Oath of the Vayuputras) Gopal glanced at Shiva. Our phonetic sound “s” became
“sh” or “h” in Parihan language. There is no place for the production and perception of the
phonetic sound “s”. They called their gods ‘Ahuras’. Their demons were called Daevas.

3.5. Karma: In the Vedantic tradition there is the concept of a natural ‘Law of Karma.’ The
law of karma is similar to the rules of action and reaction in Newton’s Law. The results of the
law of karma are singular and there cannot be any error in them. The answer to the question,
‘why bad things happen to good people?’ is ‘karma’. The law of karma continues even
though an individual may not remember the action that has caused the current reaction. The
wheels of karma are driven by the free will and desire of the embodied spirits. The following
lines from the text will explain the concept in more detail. ‘Now who the bloody hell are the
nagas?’ asked Shiva.

“They are cursed people, my Lord,” gasped Nandi. “They are born with hideous deformities
because of the sins of their previous births. Deformities like extra hands or horribly
misshapen faces.”(Immortals of Meluha, 59) “Vikarma people, my lord,’ said nandi sighing
deeply ‘are people who have been punished in this birth for the sins of their previous births.
Hence they have to live this life out with dignity and tolerate their present suffering with
grace. This is the only way they can wipe their karma clean of the sins of their previous
births. Vikarma men have their own order of penance and women have their own order.”
“There are many rules that the vikarma women have to follow. They have to pray for
forgiveness every month to Lord Agni, the purifying Fire God, through a specifically
mandated puja. They are not allowed to marry since they may contaminate others with their
bad fate. They are not allowed to touch any person who is not related to them or is not part of
their daily life ……” “Who decides that the Vikarma people had committed sins in their
previous birth?” “Their own karma, my Lord ’, said Nandi, his eyes suggesting the obvious.
‘For example if a woman gives birth to a still born child, why would she be punished thus
unless she had committed some terrible sin in her previous birth? Or if a man suddenly
contracts an incurable disease and gets paralyzed, why would it happen to him unless the
universe was penalizing him for the sins of his previous life?” (Immortals of Meluha, 93)

3.6. Women Ungendered: Amish’s portrayal of many women characters in the novel are
warriors of no less valour and strength of men’s. The first glimpse of Sati in the first of the
Trilogy occurs when Shiva meets her outside the temple. She rode in on a chariot, guiding the
horses expertly into the courtyard, while a lady companion by her side held on to the railings.
(.) She dismounted the chariot with an air of confidence. It was a calm confidence which had
not covered the ugly distance towards arrogance. Her walk was dignified. Stately enough to
let a beholder know that she was detached, but not cold. (48 The Immortals of Meluha) Sati
comes out of the temple and questions staring Shiva ‘Excuse me, is there a problem?’ here
we can see her boldness in questioning a stranger. That moment Shiva was alerted by a quick
movement from the cucumber seller. Shiva turned to see him pulling out a sword as he tossed
his shawl aside. The shepherd and the man next to the chariot also stood poised in traditional
fighter positions with their swords drawn. In a flash Shiva drew his sword and stretched out
his left hand protectively, to pull the object of his protective hand, reached into the folds of
her angvastram and drew out her own sword. Surprised Shiva flashed her quick, admiring
smile. Her eyes flashed right back, acknowledging the unexpected yet providential
partnership. Shiva and the lady stood back to back in a defensive-partner position, covering
all the directions of any possible attack. (50 The Immortals of Meluha)

Here in Amish’s portrayal Sati is not less to Shiva in valour. Her last fight in her life was with
Swuth. (….) Swuth whirled around, stunned. Sati was up on one knee. She was breathing
rapidly, forcing some strength into her debilitated body. She had dug her sword into the
ground and her right hand was on its hilt as she tried to use the leverage to push herself up.
She failed, took quick breaths, (…) Swuth stared at Sati, dumbstruck. She was completely
soaked in her own blood, there were cavernous wounds all over her body, and her hands were
shivering with the tremendous pain she was in. her soul must know that death was just
minutes away. (…) Tears sprang into Swuth’s eyes as his heart felt immeasurably heavy. This
indeed was his final kill. (…) and removed his mask. (..) Unlike all his other weapons, this
sword was marked. It was marked with the name of their God, Aten. Below that had been
inscribed the name of the devotee, Swuth. Swuth bowed low before Sati; (…) Swuth went
down on one knee. He had to give Sati an honourable death. (476-478 the Oath of the
Vayuputras)

Throughout the Trilogy Sati’s decisions, stances of her valour are so realistically pictured by
Amish that for his impartial sketches of women characters is convincing. The first lady Shiva
meets on Meluhan’s land is Ayurvati. “Welcome to Meluha. I am Ayurvati, your designated
doctor. My nurses and I will be at your assistance for the time that you are in these quarters.”
We see Ayurvati’s marvellous treatment which saves Shiva and Sati in different situations.
Those were the days when woman was as free as men to learn skills and work. The next
important woman of strength in the Meluha is Kanakhala. Smiling politely, Daksha asked,
‘May I introduce my most important aides? This is my prime minister, Kanakhala. She takes
care of the administrative, revenue and protocol matters.’ (67 The Immortals of Meluha) Both
Sati and Kanakhala had chance of choice. But they choose the path to truth, which lead them
to their death in fighting for the great cause. Anandamayi takes decision of staying with her
husband Parvateshwar even in high risk of life, even in situation of standing against her
brother. Tara a scientist helped in the production of Somras as well as daivi astras like,
Pashupatiastra and Brahmastra.

3.7. Ideology of Good and Bad: Amish explores on the ideology of what is good and what is
bad, which is also one of his many prominent theme in the Shiva trilogy. In Kashi
Vishwanath temple, Shiva heard the voice from Magadh clearly. ‘I really liked your speech at
the Dharmakhet war. Har Har Mahadev. All of us are Mahadevs. There is a god in every
single one of us. What a beautiful thought. (……….) Everything needs balance, Neelkanth.
The masculine needs the feminine. The energy requires the mass. The dialogues written by
Amish are so relevant in present society. In a society bereft of humanity, human values there
is need of this great philosophy and understanding of human nature and society.
Vasudeva’s words may be examined under Bohr’s principle of complementarity. According
to him every entity in Nature posses pairs of contradictory characters such as corpuscular
property and wave property. The contradictory characters are not exclusive of each other, but
are complementary. For an integral comprehension of the entity as a whole, it is necessary to
know both the contradictory characters. There is evil in every single one of us. Exactly. There
is a god in every single one of us. And there is evil in every single one of us. The true battle
between good and evil is fought within. And the great evil connects itself to the evil within us.
Is that why people get attached to it? I believe that when you discover the great evil of our
times, you will not need any explanation about how it attaches itself so deeply to us. (111-113
the Secret of the Nagas)The war Shiva wages in the Trilogy is not the war against any person.
But it is against the evil possible in anybody. After meeting the grown up Ganesha and
knowing the matter of Meluhans’ practice of leaving the children born with deformities in the
river, Shiva expresses his doubt, ‘I suspect that Chandandhvaj did not die naturally’(…) ‘My
Lord!’ Nandi spoke up in shock. ‘But that cannot be true. That is a crime. No Suryavanshi
ruler will ever stoop so low.’(..) ‘It is just a feeling that I have. Remember nobody is good or
bad. They are either strong or weak. Strong people stick to their morals, no matter what the
trials and tribulations. Weak people, many a times, do not even realize how low they have
sunk.’ (315 The Secret of Nagas) ‘Because desire creates attachment. Attachment to this
world. And, when you don’t get what you want or get what you don’t want, it leads to
suffering. This leads to anger. And that to violence and wars. Which finally results in
destruction.’ ‘So if you want to avoid destruction and suffering, you should control your
desires, right?’ asked the teacher. ‘Give up maya, the illusion of this world?’(..) ‘But the Rig
Veda, one of our main sources of philosophy’, continued teacher ‘says that in the beginning
of time, there was nothing except darkness and a primordial flood. Then out of this darkness,
desire was born. Desire was the primal seed, the germ of creation. And from here, we all
know that the Prajapati, the Lord of the Creatures, created the Universe and everything in it.
So in a sense, desire is the root of creation as well.’ (………….) ‘How can desire be the
source of creation as well as destruction?’(….) ‘Is it safe to assume that anything that has
been created has to be destroyed at some point in time? ‘Yes’, answered a student. ‘That is
the purpose of desire. It is the beginning and the end of a journey. Without desire, there is
nothing.’ (381,382 The Secret of Nagas) This ideology of good and bad in person is what
modern psychology proves of.

In ‘The Oath of the Vayuputras’, Amish gives us a clear-cut explanation on why both the
forces of Good and Evil is necessary.

The skill of Amish in spreading thread by thread the highly philosophical matters like, good
and bad, desire, evil before the readers and his knowledge is praise worthy. Even for a
common reader these ideologies are legible.

3.8. Ardha-Narishwar philosophy: Amish explains the concept of Ardha-Narishwar to his

reader not through the mythological point of view but as a philosophy. He breathes logic and
rationality in his philosophy. In the book, the Ardha-Narishwar has nothing to do with men
and women but with the way of life. Through the dialogue between Shiva and Pandit, Amish
explains us the notion of Ardha-Narishwar and its importance in maintaining a balance of a
society or any society. ‘So the key point is that we humans are nothing individually,’ said the
Pandit. ‘Our power flows from all of us. From the way all of us live together.’ (….) But if
you actually distil the way people live, there are only two ways: The Masculine and the
Feminine.’ “The Masculine way of life is “life by laws”. Laws that could be made by a great
leader, perhaps a Vishnu like Lord Ram. Or laws that come down from a religious tradition.
Or collective laws decreed by the people themselves. But the masculine way is very clear.
Laws are unchangeable and they must be followed rigidly. There is no room for ambiguity.
Life is predictable because the populace will always do what has been ordained. Meluha is
perfect example of such a way of life. It is obvious, therefore, why the people of this way of
life live by the code of Truth, Duty and Honour. Since that’s what they need to be successful
in this system.’ ‘And the feminine?’ “The feminine way of life is “life by probabilities”.
There are no absolutes. No black or white. People don’t act as per some preordained law, but
based on probabilities of different outcomes perceived at that point of time. For example,
they will follow a king who they think has a higher probability of their loyalties do as well. If
there are laws in such a society, they are malleable. The same laws can be interpreted
differently at different points of time. Change is the only constant. Feminine civilizations,
like Swadweep, are comfortable with contradictions. And the code for success in such a
system? Unmistakeably, Passion, Beauty and Freedom.’ ‘And no one way of life is better?’
‘Obviously. Both types of civilizations must exist. Because they balance each other.’ ‘How?’
‘You see, a masculine civilization at its peak is honourable, consistent, reliable and
spectacularly successful in an age suitable for its particular set of laws. There is order and
society moves coherently in a preordained direction. Look at the Suryavanshis today. But
when masculine civilizations decline, they cause horrible turmoil, becoming fanatical and
rigid. They will attack those that are different, try to “convert” them to their “truth”, which
will lead to violence and chaos. This especially happens when an age changes. Change is
difficult for the masculine. They will cling even more rigidly to their laws, even though those
laws may be unsuitable for the new age. Masculine civilizations enforce order which is
welcome when they are strong, but is suffocating when they decline. The Asuras, who were
followers of the masculine way, had faced similar problems when their power started
waning.’ ‘So when fanaticism causes rebellions born of frustration, the openness of the
feminine brings a breath of fresh air.’

‘Exactly. The feminine way incorporates all differences. People of varying faiths and belief
can coexist in peace. Nobody tries to enforce their own version of the truth. There is a
celebration of diversity and freedom, which brings forth renewed creativity and vigor causing
tremendous benefits to society. The Devas, who were followers of the feminine way, brought
in all this when they defeated the Asuras. But as it happens with too much freedom, the
feminine civilizations overreach into decadence, corruption and debauchery.’ ‘Then the
people once again welcome the order of the masculine’. ‘Yes. The feminine Deva way was in
decline during Lord Ram’s times. The country was corrupt, immoral and depraved. People
clamoured for order and civility. Lord Ram ushered that in as he created a new masculine
way of life. Very intelligently, to prevent unnecessary rebellions, he never decried the Deva
way. He just called his rule a new way of life: the Suryavanshi path.’ (47-49 The Secret of the
Nagas) In this long dialogue between Pandit and Shiva the modern reader is definitely
convinced of Ardha-Narishwar philosophy. More scientific is the approach of Amish in
analyzing the system of society and law of life and nature. No doubt. Trilogy is the fiction of
new age.
Footnotes:-
1. The Secret of Nagas
2. www.jirasindia.com/Publication/Vol-1-Iss-6/JJH-001-2015-FP.pdf
3.
www.academia.edu/14399949/Humanizing_Theography_through_Mystical_Mythology_Ami
sh_Tripathi_s_Shiva_Trilogy_by_Abhinaba_Chatterjee
 CHAPTER 4
HUMANIZATION

Humanism is a rationalist outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to the

human rather than divine or supernatural matters. The term has its own special definition in
every culture and society. There is a great danger of a final, even fatal, identification of the
word religion with doctrines and methods which have lost their significance and which are
powerless to solve the problem of the human living in the twentieth century. Religions have
always been means for realizing the highest values of life. This fact explains the ever
changing nature of religions through the centuries. But through all changes religion itself
remains constant in its quest for abiding values, an inseparable feature of human life.

Amish Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy is based on the reconstruction of several Indian mythical
characters and stories drawn from The Ramayana, the Mahabharata and Shivapuran. The
philosophical arguments presented or hinted at by him often echo the classical Sanskrit texts
of the Vedas, the Upanishads and the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism. The three books of
the series are the sole proof of the skill of Amish in crafting different modes such as fantasy
fiction, adventure and thriller fiction into the genre of mythology. The Indian writers in
English contemplated over their ancient past in nourishing the literary art. To capture the
ethos and sensibilities of India they went back to the rich heritage of India. The Puranas and
the two great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata represent the antiquity of India.
These epics are the rich storehouse of the traditional myths and legends, dealing with the
pantheon of Hindu gods, and folktales. They are viewed as a cultural beacon of values,
beliefs, prejudices and philosophical ideals.

This trilogy deals with the story of Shiva from a humanist point of view. The three
instalments of the trilogy take you through the ride of a Tibetan Immigrant who is driven by
his innate sense of justice, his internal conflict between good and evil and his calling and
destiny.
Amish has rendered the mythical God Shiva more relatable to the audiences by imagining
him in a human form. The myths are usually constituent of the suggestive connotations and
meanings. The writers have the freedom to reinterpret the myths the way they want it to be,
provided the writers could convince the audience and finally make them perceive their
intention. The Immortals of Meluha, the first book of the trilogy, was never meant to be a
religious book. It assumes Shiva to have been a real, flesh and blood human being, a Tibetan
immigrant to the Indus Valley, not the fabulous deity of popular consciousness.

Evil is The Shiva Trilogy’s thematic core: it’s this, Amish says, that makes him a modern-day
mythologist, and places him in a long tradition of interpreters and reinterpreters of ancient
Hindu stories. After all, the only difference for Tripathi between mythology and history is
that myths are ‘a vehicle of philosophy.’ This explains why there’s been no backlash from
India’s typically squeamish far right. There’s nothing in the book, Tripathi insists, that isn’t
in the religious texts. Like the Buddha himself, Tripathi’s Shiva is not God-become-man, but
man-become-God. All the elements of the life and their inter-relationships leading to
evolution are ruled by Natural Law. Tripathi rewrites Shiva Purana, a sacred Hindu text as a
novel with two sequels. While the first novel, The Immortals of Meluha, introduces the
readers to ancient Indian culture, the second one, The Secret of Nagas philosophizes the
concept of good and evil, as perceived in Indian society. The concluding novel, The Oath of
Vayuputras, argues and to a great extent convinces that the culture of a nation that ignores the
Laws of Nature violates it, while the one that follows the Laws of Nature leads its nation
towards enlightenment. For fulfilling, harmonious and progressive life one is required to live
in accordance with Laws of Nature or Dharma. Amish through his Shiva trilogy series try to
vindicate that Lord Shiva was not an imaginary character from mythology but a person from
the history. He has also taken Vedic concepts from the scripture and presented in this novel in
the form of science. The trilogy combines the narrative excess with philosophical debate.
Footnote:-
1.
www.academia.edu/14399949/Humanizing_Theography_through_Mystical_Mythology_Ami
sh_Tripathi_s_Shiva_Trilogy_by_Abhinaba_Chatterjee

CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION

Tripathi, the banker whose manuscript was famously rejected by 20-odd publishers, has
become India’s fastest selling author. The fiction also leads to many doubts and questions
about chronology, concepts, relations, geography. As Indian philosophy perceives, Amish too
presents individual psyche and society as a system that undergoes the process of self-creation
and self-generation as opposed to a deliberate construction. The society is in constant
interaction with its surroundings and any attempt to block the system would be to cut it off
from the interactions that maintain it, thereby likely leading to its destruction. Amish gives
reason for not destroying the knowledge of producing Somras scientifically. Today’s elixir
may prove poison tomorrow. Yesterday’s poison may become elixir today. The work appeals
to the souls of kids, who will enjoy courageous stances of young Ganesha and Karthik,
feminists and women who will definitely appreciate the description of the valour of Sati. The
youth, as well as old aged will obviously enjoy the adventurous journey, war against evil,
new interpretations of God, Aum, Neelkanth, Somras, and Brahmastra. Shiva in Shiva
Trilogy is more human and ardent lover of Sati. Women reader would worship Shiva for his
love for his wife Sati; Tribals and downtrodden for his leadership and fearless war for their
sake. The science and technology in producing somras, daivi astras and construction of
temples, city system is so well imagined by Amish, that the reader may wonder of the
possibility of it. The Trilogy appeals even modern adventurous mind as well as devotees of
Lord Shiva. Shiva is not myth; a human being attaining lordship with extraordinary zeal to
destroy evil, the production of somras and with concern for the purity of river water.

Tripathi has selected the most charismatic of the Indian gods- Shiva, but he has presented
Shiva as a mortal human being, asking “What if Lord Shiva was not a figment of a rich
imagination, but a person of flesh and blood? Like you and me. A man who rose to become
godlike because of his karma. That is the premise of the Shiva Trilogy, which interprets the
rich mythological heritage of ancient India, blending fiction with historical fact” (Tripathi:
2012). The search for the meaning of evil is the theme that runs through these three novels.
Shiva is first led to believe that the Chandravanshis, Nagas and the Branga are evil. But he
discovers that they are not so. Through the course of action of the novels he discovers that
good and evil are sides of the same coin. Evil is not a person but a situation. The story tries to
rationalize the magical element of the Shiva myth.

'The Shiva Trilogy" authored by Amish Tripathi combines the narrative excess with
philosophical debate. The fiction depicts that the culture evolves as men sacrifice their duty
(Swadharma) for the greater good, Universal Dharma. The Oath of Vayuputras enlivens
consciousness and promotes the experience of a new sense of self. It contends that the
engagement of self in action purifies man. Knowledge liberates an individual. While the
study discusses the issues of liberation, emancipation, equal rights and womanhood, it gives
significance to humans and their relation, as self does not exist in seclusion. While enriching
the differences, this fiction strengthens the cultural integrity of India. Through recreation,
"The Shiva Trilogy" becomes the living inspirational scripture capable of providing spiritual
direction to the present world.
Footnotes:-

1. www.jirasindia.com/Publication/Vol-1-Iss-6/JJH-001-2015-FP.pdf