Book Review “The Palace Of Illusions ”
This is the second time I am reading this book. I was looking for some gripping story in my Library & thus stumbled upon this masterpiece. The story is about Mahabharat, one of the most talked wars in Hindu Mythology. Set in the Dwapara Yug (as per Hindu mythology, the world cross 4 stages in its life, Satya, Treta, Dwapar & Kali. We are living in Kali yug which is the last stage & once this gets over. We will start again from Satya Yug.) Each yug is worse than the previous one. Thus, as the mythology, we are in the one most unsatisfying & evil stage. Dwapara Yug happened before Kali Yug & this stage completed after God’s incarnation “Krishna” returned to his abode. Krishna played a pivotal role in helping one group to win. Only during this war, he showered life’s virtue which is commonly known as “Gita.” The Palace of Illusions is one of many stories that happened during Dwapara Yug, the backdrop of the story sets in a kingdom. Where two brother's children are proclaiming the kingdom. These are Kaurav’s & Pandav’s, Kaurav originated from Dhritarashtra & Pandav’s from Pandu. Pandu died due to a curse thus Dhritarashtra sits on the crown however he is blind. His children Dhuryodhan & 99 others claim the kingdom as theirs. While Pandavs (5 brothers, Yudhister, Arjun, Bheem, Nakul & Sehdev) claim as theirs. Thus, there is always a tussle between the two.
This book is not about the Kaurav’s or Pandav’s. But, is about Draupadi, daughter of Drupad, born from the holy fire. Many books have covered the stories of Kaurav’s & Pandav’s but not of Draupadi. Hence, it is an interesting read to know how she felt during highs & lows. The book is wonderfully written & is very gripping. The book described her as a curious child & wants to accomplish something great. She wonderfully describes her childhood & adolescence. The story took a turn when she visits a fortune teller. The fortune teller tells her that she will be the cause for the greatest war on the planet, she will bring death to his brothers & children, she will have 5 husbands & despite having 5 husbands she will die alone & queens will envy her.
How life takes turns if one knows, he or she will be the reason why millions of widows will weep & even after knowing the future. Will she be able to hold on to the thoughts at the right moment to avoid war. Yet, time is the biggest culprit & if anything is meant to happen. It will happen no matter how hard one tries to avoid it. Just the way death follows people who have escaped death in the Final Destination series. Even after knowing how things will unfold. She was caught unaware of the situation. At one time, Arjun wins a tournament & wins Draupadi as his wife & after reaching home, his mother says to divide the prize equally among brother without realizing that the brothers were referring to his wife as a prize & thus getting married to 5 people & having 5 husbands. In another incident, the eldest brother Yudhistir loses everything in his possession over a game of dice which includes palaces, areas, pieces of jewelry, his brothers & finally his wife.
How will one feel if one is put on the gambling table without its knowledge? This book wonderfully depicts the thoughts of Draupadi after all the incidents & how she coped with that. This book is wonderfully written is a must-read for anyone who has read Mahabharat. If one is looking for a light-hearted yet gripping book shall buy this at the earliest & with sale season incoming this might be the perfect time to buy this.
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