Name of Book : Ramayana – The Game of Life : Stolen Hope
The Author: Shubha Vilas
Year of release : 2106
Published by :Jaico Publishing House
No. of Pages:312
Cover: Paperback
Genre: Mythological / Epic
Book Price: Rs. 299
Copy: Blogadd Review Copy
The wealth of knowledge that lies within our ancient Indian
scriptures is unparalleled in the world. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are epics
in their own right, and we’re sure that there are answers to any moral, social,
political and even spiritual questions that you might have hidden in their
pages. All of us can learn a lot to learn from these books, but lack of time
and will power to flip through such huge tomes are obstacles in our way. To
remedy this, Author Subha Vilas has presented the third volume of the ‘Ramayana
– The Game Of Life’ series for us.
About the Author:
Shubha Vilas, a spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker,
holds a degree in engineering and law with specialization in Patent Law. His
leadership seminars are popular with top-level management in corporate houses.
He also helps individuals deal with modern-life situations by applying the
teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and other dharmic traditions
About the Book:
In the evil labyrinths of Dandakaranya forest, human values are
put to test. Rama’s righteousness, Lakshmana’s loyalty and Sita’s endurance
reflect our own sense of values and judgment in difficult times. The story
unfolds the facets of human life – the conflict and trickery, the praise, the
slander and above all, the hope and the despair in the eventful forest life of
exiled royals.
Stolen Hope is about extreme deception and extreme love. It is
about arrogant power and deep devotion. With every twist and turn, Rama, Sita
and Lakshmana find themselves robbed of whatever and whoever they valued the
most.
Exploring the dynamics of human relations – between father and
son, husband and wife, teacher and disciple – and the complex game of power and
greed, Stolen Hope mirrors our own dilemmas in the modern world and teaches us
how we must overcome them.
About the Story:
Ramayana – The Game of Life : Stolen Hope, is an account of thirteen years of Rama’s
exile along with Sita and Laxmana who accompanied him in the arduous mission. This
time, the story starts with King Danda violating the modesty of Shukracharya’s
daughter Araja and thus cursing of Shukracharya that his kingdom would turn into
a place of animal-like humans and will become home to the jungle humans ever
known. Due to the curse, within some time the kingdom becomes jungle known as ‘Dandakaranya’.
The story then moves with how Rama, Sita & Lakshmana wander
the forests relocating to Dandakaranya forests, where they learn many things
meeting sages and relieving people from curses, etc., A storm hits the story
when Shurpanakha falls in love with Rama when she sees him.
The story then deals with the abduction of Sita. And finally ends
with Lord Rama meeting Shabri who hands over a map to the duo to find the
wonder monkeys in the Kinkishdha forest for assisting them in rescuing Sita.
Opinion:
We all have heard or rather read about the story of Ramayana however, what makes this book
different from others is the extreme detailing and the interpretation of acts
which contributes to the development
of our own perspective about the Ramayana.
The main USP of this book according to me are the footnotes. The
author has added footnotes on the take-aways and learning that can be imbibed
from this epic. The author has also done the great job by providing the summary
of the past two books in the inception of the Book 3 which makes the readers to
read and follow the story easily.
After completing the reading of this series, I am eagerly waiting for the next (4th)
part where Rama will meet Hanuman and Sugriva. The trailer of part 4 sparks the
curiosity of readers..
Final Word
I will strongly recommend this book to everyone who loves epics.
