Saturday, May 20, 2006

Vayam Rakshamah by Acharya Chatursen Shashtri

Few months back Mr. Mohit Dubey (My boss) asked me to read a book 'वयम् रक्षामः(Vayam Rakshamah)' by Acharya Chatursen Shashtri. I was eager to read the book as Mr. Dubey highly recommended it. I asked Priya didi (Mohit sir's wife) for the book and she immediately handed it to me. Thank you very much didi :-)

I had very high expectations from the book as I always admire mohit sir's recomendations. Without knowing the fact that what is this novel all about, I started reading it and believe me I wasn't disappointed a bit. I remember very well that with very high expectations, I couldn't appreciate even Sholay very much while the movie is a milestone in indian film industry, you know that!

This book solely concentrate on Ravan, yes the Ramayan Villain! Started reading it as a fictional novel and ended up realizing that it is an Epic. The way of story-telling is good and entirely different. There is too much voilence, let me correct, blunt voilence! but still I liked the way of presentation. In first 50 pages or so, Shashtri Ji tried to connect the virtual terminologies of Ramayana to the places on this earth. Let me explain, he said the Baikunth or heaven is nothing but a place in ancient Iran or Persia, the Paradise Mountain! The Nark or hell too situated in Persia itself, Australia's ancient name was Andhra Pradesh!!! However it is hard to digest all this (I don't say, Impossible!), but still this seems better than the Bakunth and the Nark itself. I don't know whether the facts covered in this book about India, Ravan or any Aryas are correct or are just an imagination, but I really liked those. So many doubts in my mind about Hinduism, India etc seem to have some base now :-)

I googled for this book then but couldn't get enough satisfying results. There was no review available at all. I immediately thought of reviewing it. Firstly I sent its ultra-small review to Mr. Ashok Banker (great writer, retelling our epics) in the Epic India mailing list. I didn't have a blog then to write :(

This book was written in 1955 and the writer claimed to have written as many as 136 books before but I can't find any satisfying results for him either! Now since I had read this book, I purchased his another renowned book, Vaishali Ki Nagarvadhu. Rajeev is reading that at the moment. :-)

I am attaching the complete details of the book. Anyone interested can read it. The book is in Hindi but a huge vocab of Sanskrit is used. Sometimes it becomes very hard to understand the meanings :-) Writer passed few (1 or 2) chapters writing in Sanskrit only, then explaining in the next chapter.

Overall was a good read. I must say the book seems controversial and may not be widely accepted. This is one of the book, either you love it or hate it. 7/10. :-)

वयम् रक्षामः(Vayam Rakshamah)
By: Acharya Chatursen Shashtri,
ISBN: 81-216-0877-7,
Pages: 500 (Complete Edition)
AHW HPB Hindi Series,
Publisher: Hind Pocket Books
Price: 125/-

8 comments:

drprasad said...

Mr Srinivas
Now The Vayam Rakshmah translated in Telugu by Smt Sobhirala
0866
2484785

Unknown said...

is it available in English?

Banwari Lal Sharma said...

Translations are there for the book but not sure English one is available. Will update if I come across.

Banwari Lal Sharma said...

Translations are there for the book but not sure English one is available. Will update if I come across.

Vish Bheed said...

One of the very few high standard books, should be read along with Vedic sanskruti-Asuri prabhav also by Sri Acharya ChaturSen.

A classical book - A must read

Unknown said...

The writer has confused me a lot. Now i am desperate to know the truth. Is it a fiction or a truth? everything he said in his book is just fake or the reality?

Unknown said...

i read that book in 1989 and that change my thinking about ravan if u would like to that is fake so u should go to greater noida where ravan born.

Singh. A said...

did any1 come accross an english version for this thing yet?