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Book Review : Ascharyachoodamani of Shaktibhadra - Translated by S. Ranganath

 

During my visit to Sahitya Academi office to pick up some books, this book captured my attention owing to the magnificent cover and the topic. I wondered what this book was all about. This has been one exhilarating ride through some wonderful poetry, the genius of the author and of course the richness of our Itihasas. This book is centred around the Choodamani i.e. Crest Jewel that plays an integral part in Ramayana. This book is written in a drama form with 7 (VII) acts encapsulating various incidents from Ramayana. Apart from the dialogues and background voices, the book is replete with wonderful poems all along the way. Though these poems are wonderful in English, I am sure that they would be much more relishing in vernacular languages or Samskrita (which could be the original language of composition).

The book starts from Surpanakha visiting Sri Rama and Lakshmana in their Ashrama and requesting the royal princes to accept her. From this event, the different acts capture key events like Seetha’s abduction, Jatayu’s fight, the crux of the book i.e. Hanuman’s journey to Lanka and handing over the choodamani to Seetha, Ravana’s demise announced in background after the fight & Seetha’s Agni Pariksha. The book concludes with Sri Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana commencing their journey back to Ayodhya.

There are some interesting segments in the book. Ravana adorning the form of Sri Rama with his Charioteer taking up Lakshmana’s form during the kidnapping of Seetha is interesting. The inner conflict of the Charioteer i.e. torn between what is correct vs following the orders of Annadhata is brought out quite eloquently. The concept of forewarning in the form of dreams of Mandodari is fascinating read. One of the highlights of the book is the dialogue between Minister and Ravana, wherein the former elucidates his responsibilities in guiding the king on the path of Dharma, along with Artha and Kama. Interestingly, in one of the poems, Ravana describes Indra as Vishnu’s elder brother and him having humiliated the king of devas as a proof for overcoming Rama who is considered as Vishnu incarnate. The events preceding Seetha’s Agni Pariksha make for some engaging read as this section has some interesting anecdotes as well as poetic compositions.

Overall, this is a very engaging book for lovers of drama as well as Itihasas. Definitely HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READ


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