'Retellings of the Mahabharata often succumb to the temptation of reversing the gaze and providing a noble patina to their protagonists. Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan, though, bravely reimagines the story and the inner life of the fisher-maiden Satyavati before her arrival into the epic, before she changes the future of the Kuru dynasty. Madhavan humanizes Satyavati, and reminds us that the passage through adolescence is in itself a heroic odyssey.' - Karthika NairWho is Satyavati? Truth-teller. Daughter of water. Child of apsara and king. Cursed from birth. Fish-smell girl.Growing up as a girl in the Vedic age is anything but easy - and even harder for the future Queen of Hastinapur, the kingdom of all kingdoms. She must contend with magic islands, difficult sages, calculating foster parents, sexual awakening and loneliness. Even when she is at the threshold of the capital, King Shantanu, smitten though he is with her, already has a crown prince from his marriage with a goddess. Young Satyavati must walk on thorns to reach her destiny in a world ruled by men.

'The Indian epics gain strength and renewal with every telling and retelling. Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan's compelling and accomplished narration of the crucial story of Amba and Shikhandi is a timely reminder of the constant currency and relevance of the Mahabharata.' - Namita Gokhale. Book one, The One Who Swam with the Fishes, told the tale of Satyavati on the cusp of womanhood. She is now Queen of Hastinapur and the story moves forward to Kashi, where Princess Amba is growing up with her sisters, Ambika and Ambalika. A swayamvara is arranged for them, where Amba plans to wed Prince Salva, the love of her life. However, an unexpected figure walks into the ceremony and thwarts all plans of a happy ending. In another life, Shikhandi, has never been what he seems. With his close companion, Utsarg, he embarks on a journey to look for a yaksha who will give him what he wants - to be a Kshatriya prince in body and in mind. But along the way, he might have to lose some of himself, the part he calls Shikhandini. Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan draws out the lesser-known characters of the Mahabharata from the margins and tells their stories with compassion and grit.

In the stories where the Mahabharata speaks of life, women occupy a central place. In living what life brings to them, the women of the Mahabharata show, that the truth in which one must live, is however, not a simple thing; nor can there be any one absolute statement about it. Each one of them, in her own way, is a teacher to mankind as to what truth and goodness in their many dimensions are. The twelve women of the Mahabharata whose life stories make up this book, range from Shakuntala, Savitri and Damayanti who are known only in sketches; from Sulabha, Suvarchala, Uttara Disha, Madhavi and Kapoti who are hardly known, and finally to Draupadi, known widely but frozen in popular culture and writing in two or three standard clichéd images. The women of the Mahabharata are incarnate in the women of today. To read the stories of their relation-ships is to read the stories of our relationships. They demand from the men of today the same reflection on their perceptions, attitudes, and pretensions too, as they did from the men in their lives, and equally often from other men full of pretensions, even if they were kings and sages. Badrinath s ability to combine respect and love and to write with impressive scholarship and grace will unforgettably transform our experience of reading the Mahabharata.

A baby abandoned. A queen dishonoured. And a cataclysmic war to wipe out the known world. The Mahabharata - the Great Bharat -- is a grand and timeless story, the oldest and longest epic in the world. A perennial bestseller in India, it has enthralled millions throughout the centuries and is as relevant, wise, and spellbinding today as ever. Sons of Gods is a new version of this ancient Indian classic. It transports the reader into a wonderful world of the almighty spirit: where a mantra spoken flippantly can change the course of history; where a curse uttered in anger can spell doom and destruction; where a truly awesome vow can grant the power of life over death. Its heroes have survived the millennia. Bhishma, who possesses the boon of invincibility, and can choose the time, method, and agent of his death. Amba, the wronged princess who changes sex to seek revenge. Arjuna, the mightiest archer of all, and dearest friend of Krishna, God's incarnation. Arjuna's arch-enemy Karna, the invincible but doomed son of the Sun-god. The fire-born queen Draupadi, who marries all five of the famous Pandava brothers, and whose word is their command. ..".love, betrayal, lust, envy, pride, devotion, and heroism never go out of style. Sons Of Gods is a literary soap opera with a soul that spans the full horizon." --- Jamie Mason, author of Three Graves Full and Monday's Lie More on: www.sonsofgods.blogspot.com

In This Book, The Author Presents A Complete Picture Of Woman`S Life In The Mahabharata, Dealing With Her Status, Education, Aims, Fields Of Activity, Marriage, Achievement, Family Life, Social Life, Moral Codes, Economic Condition, Political Life, Style Of Living, Including House, Dress, Food, Etiquettes Etc. The Characters Women In The Epic Reflect The Vision Of The Society About Women. While Draupadi Reveals A Most Sarene And Touching Profile Of Indian Woman, Gandhari And Kunti As Well As Devayani, Savitri And Damayanti Are The Most Inspiring Characters Since They Visualise An Underred Spirit Of Struggle And Preservance. The Book Is Immensely Useful For The Research Scholars, Teachers And Students Of Sanskrit Literature And Ancient Indian Culture. It Will Work As An Encyclopeadia For The Readers Of Woman Studies.

'They can claim to know her because she is unknowable. They see her form because she is formless. They speak her words because she never utters a word.'This is the story of Ganga, Madri, Pritha and Gandhari: powerful women who, driven by their fears and ambitions, trigger events that lead to an epic war, propelling kings, princes and warriors towards glory and bloodshed, sin and redemption. Here is a retelling of the Mahabharata through the eyes of its female characters, for what came to an end at Kurukshetra took root in throne rooms and bed chambers; hermitages and sacred lakes; prisons and shrines; on horseback and under the stars.