The Immortals of Meluha Book Review
By Sahil Singh
“A man becomes a Mahadev, only when he fights for good. 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.”
The Immortals of Meluha is the first book of Amish Tripathi, the first book of Amishverse, and also the first book of The Shiva Trilogy. The story is set in the land of Meluha and starts with the arrival of Shiva and depicts the journey of a man becoming the destroyer of evil.
The book portrays Shiva as the chief of a tribe named the Gunas. He receives an invitation from the kingdom of Meluha to immigrate along with his entire tribe. Shiva accepts the invitation to safeguard his tribe from the continuous onslaught of the Prakrits, an enemy tribe. Amish portrays Shiva as a human, who is always ready to protect his people. The people of Meluha are followers of Lord Ram and are called Suryavanshis. The Meluhans are looking for someone who will become their messiah and save them from their arch enemies Chandravanshis.
“Shiva yanked the bed sheet off the mattress, tossed it on the floor, and lay down. This was a little better. Sleep was stealthily creeping in on him. But not as strongly as at home. He missed the rough, cold floor of his own hut. He missed the shrill winds of Mount Kailash.”
Shiva falls in love with Sati, the daughter of emperor Daksha. For Shiva, everything is overwhelming, and the expectations of Suryavanshis are too much for him, but his friends helped him see the truth. They are ready to die for their Neelkanth. Mahadev is forced to look at the bigger picture and understand that both the clans have their own ways of living and the differences between two different lifestyles cannot be labeled as good or bad.
Ayurvati just pointed at Shiva’s neck. Nandi looked up. The neck shone an eerie iridescent blue. With a cry that sounded like that of a long caged animal just released from captivity, Nandi collapsed on his knees. ‘My Lord! You have come! The Neelkanth has come!’
The book has good explanations of the different philosophies that collectively make up the beautiful mosaic of Indian culture. The depiction of the origin of the Saptarishis (the Seven Sages), the Varna System, the Somras and its efficiency, and the concepts of universal energy, karma, and dharma are put forth interestingly.
The description of places like Kashmir, Meluha, Karachapa, Swadweepa, and Ayodhya is so spectacular that the readers are transported to the beautiful and well-planned cities of ancient Bharat. The fast-paced writing touches upon many aspects like the reason why Shiva became the Neelkanth, how Nandi, a Meluhan Captain, became the trusted aide of Shiva, the origin of the world-renowned Om (ॐ) symbol, and so on. Several characters like Daksha, Sati, Ayurvati, Chitrangadh, Bhadra, etc., all of whom are from the Shiva Purana, are introduced into the story. Each character is well defined, thus enabling the readers to easily connect with them.
Amish Tripathi creates a world of fantasy in his debut book, including corruption, caste system, unnecessary laws, and enters the readers’ hearts.
Readers will find it hard to keep the book down, because of its immersive and imaginative writing. Highly recommended for fictional and mythological lovers.