Book Review- Ramayana- The Game of Life- Shattered Dreams: Part Two

Hello Everyone,

I am back with yet another book review. This time once again it is from the mythology genre. The book, Shattered Dreams, is a sequel to the Rise of the Prince in the spiritual and motivational series- Ramayana- The Game of Life. Now, I haven't read its prequel but the blurb at the back of the book says, at the end of book 1- "Twelve joyful years have passed in Ayodhya since Rama and Sita's wedding." Now, we all know the story of Ramayana. So, whether you have read the first book or not, doesn't really matter.

In book 2, Shattered Dreams, the author, Shubha Vilas talks about Rama's exile and the drama surrounding it. Through tales of Rama's unwavering and enigmatic persona, the book teaches us how to handle reversals positively; through Bharata's actions, it teaches us to handle temptation; and through Sita's courage to explore beyond our comfort zone. The author has very vividly described each and every character who had been a part of Rama's life and spoken at length about their nature, their conduct, their decisions, their lives. That is not all.

The most interesting aspect of the book is the footnote at the end of each page, where the author has compared the character's conduct or decisions or behavior to the modern day scenarios that we have to go through. Through the footnotes, the author is trying to provide us with insights into our very own life and how we should treat each and every action that we take. Every page has those little advice that is needed or perhaps will definitely help you in shaping your character as a person.

The author has kept Valmiki's Ramayana as the guiding light, and very poetically entwined Shattered Dreams with Kamba Ramayana, Ramcharitamanas and Loka Purana tales to establish how the ancient epic still holds relevance in modern life. The book teaches us not just character building but also explains the value of truth, importance of scriptures, the ideal marriage and the relationship equation between a husband and wife; it also teaches us what is the real meaning of luxury; it guides us how our environment holds importance in our life; it imbibes in us the value of true communication and how we should treat people around us; it also teaches us how to  balance our mind and project ourselves as a good leader. The book overall can be termed as a self help book where the underlying tone is that of the Ramayana but through and through you are taught a lesson in life comparing it with the ancient epic scenario.

What is a little monotonous about the book is the vivid description that the author has written about each and every character and their behavior. Interestingly, he has not limited the book to either Rama alone or Rama-Sita relationship; he has rather focused not just on Rama but also the important people around him, who somewhere and somehow had played an important and focused role in his life.

Frankly, I am not much of a mythology reader. And, I would advice you to read this book only if you are inclined towards ancient epics and how they can shape up your behavior in modern life.

Happy Reading.



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