Mahasena : Part One Of The Murugan Trilogy | Kala Krishnan | Book Review

Mahasena is part one of the Murugan trilogy by Kala Krishnan. This book delves into the tales and legends surrounding Murugan, the son of Shiva and Parvati, the Gods of creation.

About The Book:

Author: Kala Krishnan.
Pages: 264.
Genre: Mythology.
Publisher: ‎ Context (Westland Books).
Buying Links: Amazon India.

Blurb:

The Vast: a still, dark, endless field of nothing, in which something broods and gathers, rising and billowing into waves. Everything emerges from these waves of the Vast, including Time, Creation, and the woman and two men known as The Three. From the waves come multitudes of beings, including the Asura, those of untiring breath who seek knowledge, and the Sura, the bright ones who keep order.

The greatest of all the Sura and Asura is Surapadman, who will embody inventiveness, wisdom and statecraft for all time to come. The only one who can counter his might and his challenge to the rules of creation is Karthikeya, child of Shambhu and Uma, and brother to Ganesha, the all-seeing elephant-headed god.

Kala Krishnan has been exploring the Murugan universe for years now. In this first volume of a planned trilogy, she expands the mythologies of the god. Kumara, Karthikeya, Kandhan, Velan, he is the god of Tamizh, the patron of the Great Assembly of poets in Madurai, friend and mentor to the hot-headed and fiercely loyal Aambal, who is known to all as ‘Murugan’s poet’.

A reimagining of the life and exploits of the magnificent young god, Mahasena is resonant with the stories that were, as well as vividly original.

My Thoughts:

*I received this book from the publisher and the review is my honest opinion.*

I grew up hearing a lot of stories about Ganesha, but I didn’t know anything about Murugan. And that very fact made me read this book.

If you are unaware of the tales of Murugan, or Kartikeya, I would highly suggest you to read this book.

The book is divided into two parts with six chapters each.

The story opens with Murugan’s birth and draws you from the very first page. I was happily lost in Kala’s enchanted world. The whole episode of Murugan’s birth from Kailasa to the Bhuloka, where he is nurtured by the six- Krittikas is enchanting.

The book provided me with a lot of knowledge on Mythology. There is one part in the book where the author describes the whole creation of the universe, and that was enthralling. I literally consumed that part.

There is another part in the book where we learn about Karthikeya as the God of Tamizh. And that part tells us about this language and its evolution.

The interaction between Kandhan and his elder brother, Ganesha, are the most beautiful moments in the book. Also, his relationship with his father, Lord Shiva, is portrayed so purely and the scenes made me smile.

I’m always interested in learning more about Hindu mythology, and Mahasena provided me with the opportunity to learn more about Murugan’s life. Each chapter covers a different aspect of Kartikeya’s life, commencing from his birth.

New things I learned from this book:

• Story of Karthikeya’s birth.
• His different names: Kandhan, Skanda, Kumara, Velan, Murugan, Guha, etc.
• About the creation of the world.
• I learned more about Karthikeya’s dear peacock, Parvani, and their adorable relationship.
• About the language Tamizh.

I couldn’t put certain parts down because they were so beautifully written. The style of writing of the other parts, on the other hand, didn’t fully click with me, and many of them sounded overdramatized. But I am still interested in reading the rest of the trilogy, I think I would have loved it a lot more if the writer had focused more on the plot and avoided adding needless details.

Quotes Highlighted from this book:

“From his father’s head, the jata, bleached red and gold by the sun and wind and cold on this highest mountain in all creation, tumbled down, like the ashen ariel roots of the tree. A thin stream of light, powdery, like fine dust, emanated from the middle of his forehead. Mother, seated beside Father, was leaning towards him, and he knew that their two bodies, at some point, would be so close together, you couldn’t tell where one ended and other began.”

“Nature knew what to do, when and in what measure.”

“They noticed that, just as plants, when transported from one soil to another, become like that new soul, gritty or loamy or heavier, the language also changed as it travelled from one place to another.”