Book – The Immortals of Meluha by Amish
[Spoiler Warning]
Running from the daily violence
in the snow-clad mountains to the North
Arriving in a land that is conflicted today
To find a secret legend and himself
Neelkanth, the one with the blue throat
suddenly finds himself at the altar
standing among gods of the past
and being treated like one everywhere
Embarrassed at a title undeserving
covering his neck in the name of religion
he travels to the capital to meet the king
and meets the lady of his life instead
“A dire evil threatens the Land of Meluha”, the king says
“The systems are perfect and the country in order”, Shiva replies
“You’re the only one to root out evil”, the king says
“Where the hell is evil here?”, Shiva wonders
He dances for Sati, the love of his life
After saving her from an attack in a village
He touches her hand to show a dance pose
When she’s aghast at the fate that might befall upon him
“Get a Shudhikaran done”, Sati exclaims, running away
“What the hell?” Shiva thinks, and gets it done anyway
“Vikarma’s touch is poison and can cause bad fate”
Shiva’s aghast at the superstition that still goes on
“Maybe this is evil” he wonders
But the world has another answer for him
“The Chandravanshis and the Nagas together”, the king proclaims
“They are our enemies”, Shiva decides
He meets the scientist and learns the secret
the fountain of youth and the formulation method
He meets a brother in Brihaspati
one who doesn’t devote his life because of a blue throat
Sati’s the princess, he later finds out
Sati’s husband died and child was stillborn
Sati’s life is extraordinarily honorable
Despite the ills that has befallen her
The Vasudevs appear across temples
Never revealing who they are until the end
“We are to help you, Mahadev”, they answer
While they give him the answers to questions he struggles with
The king announces the arrival of the Mahadev
he is paraded across the kingdom
A blind vikarma veteran shows up in one
and Shiva gets his blessings
Everyone is aghast at what the Mahadev has done
“Past life is not a reason to discriminate one”, he says
“I need to change this law and I will do it”, he proclaims
“Are you doing it for Sati, Mahadev?” a Vasudev asks him
Society needs balance and flexibility
The vikarma might destroy the world because of rage
hence the past life sins as a counterweight
to restore balance to society
“It is still wrong and I’ll change it” Shiva says
“Here’s where you sign, my lord”, the king replies
“The law is hereby banished” he says
“No Vikarma shall be discriminated against”
He wins Sati’s love, after giving her what she wants
Respect from the people she cares about
The union is announced eventually
and the couple tie the knot in a grand celebration
Brihaspati leaves for some work early
Despite Shiva’s pleas to stay for one more day
Shiva is woken up mid-sleep the next day
Brihaspati’s lab is being attacked
Brihaspati’s lab is attacked by soldiers
led by a Naga, the deformed and cursed ones
Shiva vows to avenge his brother
Even if his own soul is corrupted in the process
Shiva sends a message of war to Chandravanshis
A “NO” from them angers him even more
A war must be waged, he decides
And thus, he proceeds to Swadweep, the capital of the enemy
“You can direct the war from the viewing platform” the king says
“I belong to the battlefield and not the sidelines” Shiva says
He rushes into battle to kill the enemy
Leaving a pregnant Sati in the care of the doctor
“Har Har Mahadev” he yells a war chant
All of us are Gods
“Har Har Mahadev” the army repeats the chant
All of us are Gods
The war is won and the royalty imprisoned
The enemy king sees the Mahadev and is aghast
The princess comes and claims their Mahadev is yet to arrive
That’s when the truth dawns on him
The two kingdoms were enemies but not evil
Evil resides somewhere else, not here
“In a clouded state, I have killed innocents
What have I done?” Shiva cries
“You aren’t the first one to do so” a Vasudev pandit says
“You won’t be the last one too”
“But you realized it soon and now, your question begins”
“What is evil and where can you find it?”
“Your quest just started, my friend” the Vasudev pandit says
“We are here to help you on the way”
“But the path is yours to walk alone
and so is the responsibility of finding the truth”
–Surya T