Parva - Mahabharata in realism !

After all, how many times are such brilliant masterpieces written?

As I pondered at the end of the book, there is this just one question. If this is what the author aimed, I bow to him for, I too have changed. Emptiness beyond the deepest well had overtaken me too at the end of this fascinating book. Beyond the waves, the rain, the silence, laid the emptiness of having accomplished something. I was almost there to witness the silence of the war, the thundering of clouds, the violence of rain, and the anger of waves upon the lands that fought the war in the name of Dharma. An empty feeling had over taken me as I reached the end of the book.

There in lies the beauty of the book. It captivates and holds you with such fervor that not for a moment do you think are in the present, but always a feeling that you are with them, seeing it, feeling it. Sheer Brilliance! It must be said, the masterful stroke of this book lies in the last 15 pages, describing events following the war. Every frame of the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas stay on in the mind long after you have read the book. Every incident, from Kunti’s monologue on the birth of Pandavas to the final walk led by Krishna to the Palace, each incident holds your breath, holds your mind and soul. Every single dialogue, be it a monologue, dialogue, introspection or plain description of events, each of them has been dealt with a hand of a genius.

The feelings of Draupadi are as magical as the Bhishma’s introspection of his life in the war. The pangs of Kunti for Karna is as much vivid as Gandhari’s love for him. Duryodhana’s questions are as interesting and complex as Shukha’s interpretation of life. The language of Bhyrappa is indeed amazing in the way he brings out the complex emotions which every character faces in the book.

In short, Parva is a Mahabharatha in realism. Every character is a human, and every character is a complex character feeling a gamut of emotions be it jealousy, anger, forgiveness or just politic. Pandavas fight amongst themselves as much as each of them introspects into their own lives and their decisions, giving rise to several important questions of basis of the epic. There are no gods here; there are no demons here, but just humans. Krishna is as much a human as much as Ghatokacha is a human of another kind. The author disproves any kind of Godly references the normal Mahabharata refers to, and thereby gives his work a rational perspective as well as a historical insight into the life of those times. The author, S.L. Bhyrappa backs his work with superior research going well into 7 years of hard work. Parva is an interpretation of Mahabharata in realism with ordinary people, rulers and clans.

Parva has been the most discussed and applauded among all of his novels. It narrates the social structure, values and the mystery of mortality in the epoch of Mahabharata very effectively. Bhyrappa reconstructed Mahabharatha from sociological and anthropological angle, through metaphors in this novel.

Parva is considered to be the best work by him. I thought I had read the best of books in this world when I laid my hands upon such a piece.

Parva is not just a masterpiece; it’s a brilliant masterpiece.