Book: Shyam — An Illustrated retelling of the Bhagavata.
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik
Book Size: 298 pages
Book available: Amazon, For Free PDF You can contact me.
Shyam: An illustrated Retelling of the Bhagavata. I must add that this book is sheer beauty in terms of writing style and pictures. You’d be shocked if I told you that our author made those sketches himself. It facilitates storytelling while also making the tale more understandable.
Shyam: the retelling of Bhagavata — you would get a glimpse of Krishna’s life, from his birth to death. The author divided this book into 16 volumes, each with a variety of views. I appreciated how the author led us step by step through Krishna’s lifespan. Shyam is the most anticipated work; after all, who wouldn’t want to read about Krishna, the Hindu Deity who entered every child’s life as its first superhero, his small annoyances that made people laugh and think, his relationship with Yashoda, which made us more aware of motherhood emotions, his most ambiguous love life with Radha and thousands of Gopis, and his war against Iniquity.
The author did not overlook his function in the Mahabharata. I like two fragments: the first, which depicts Shyam and Arjuna’s relationship, and the second, in which Shyam saves Draupadi.
Shyam was reared as a cowherd; he had never gotten the previous schooling, undermining his position as the son of a Yadava lord. So he and his elder brother were brought to the ancient hermitage Rishi Sandipani to acquire manners and Vedic traditions. Sandipani disclosed a basic concept of the Vedic cosmos that distinguished rishis from rakshasas.
‘It is the Yajana, animals grab food. Rakshasas are those who seize what they desire. When they trade resources, however, they follow the path of the rishi since it indicates they perceive each other’s needs as well as their own. You are a giving yajaman if you first give something to receive something. You are a devata if you demand something before giving something. Children can be devatas, but growing up means becoming Yajamans. You are the best yajaman when you can offer without expecting anything in return.
Sandipani had taught Shyam about Karma, how each occurrence is the fruit of the past and each deed is the seed of the future. I almost forgot to include the most humorous segment, Dancing on Kalia’s Hood. You should read it.
In Chapter Seven, Lover, Devdutt has weaved the most delicate element of Krishna’s life. Especially the Moonlit Nights Circular Dance. The author writes in another part, Shyam Multiplies, that Shyam appears not as one but as many, and that each Gopi loves his presence and allows their senses to appreciate his beauty while allowing him to be nourished by their feelings.
There was nothing to hide or explain. Similarly, in the chapter about Shyam and Radha, the author revealed the beauty of love and knowledge. In his words, “What is love?” “I just wanted to be the vessel that takes what she offers.” I met some well-known individuals, such as Sudama, and heard a short story about Parijat’s flowers. Aside from that, I got to know all of his avatars in one location.
