Dashavatar - Stories of Lord Vishnu by Piyusha Vir

I remember first hearing the stories of Lord Vishnu at my grandmother’s knee, when she, a deeply religious lady, would describe the various avatars in graphic detail. I would listen, wide-eyed, entranced as she turned into the mischievous Krishna, the diminutive Vamana, the steadfast Rama and of course, the majestic Narasimha, half man, half lion. After one such recital, I remembered eyeing every pillar with awe, never sure if the image rooted in my imagination would spring out and catch me unawares.

So, when I set out to read Piyusha Vir’s ‘Dashavatar’, published by Readomania, I looked forward to going back to my childhood.

The prologue fascinated me. “When I first set out to write the stories of Vishnu, little did I know what a gigantic cauldron of wealth I was diving into.” How true, especially as the author ended by saying that her aim was to take a second look at the stories and analyse how they fit into contemporary society.

The stories themselves are easy to read, as mellifluous as my grandmother’s narration. However, what comes across is what I missed when I was little – the glaring parallels across history and mythology, with references to the Great Flood, and the emergence of a saviour every time the world reeled under the burden of evil. Manu, the first man in the New World could easily be Noah, his gigantic boat the Ark with two species of all animals, plants and seeds aboard it.

Modern axioms dot the pages of this book of ancient stories. For instance, before the churning of the ocean, Vishnu advises the devas. “Diplomacy and tact are as important as your physical strength. Remember, often there would be times when you need to make friends out of your foes.” Don’t those words ring a bell concerning the political arena even today?

What about the Halahala Visha that emerged from the ocean, potent enough to allow darkness to rule the mind and negativity to rule the heart? Any thoughts on that?

“Arrogance, pride, and greed for power dictated the actions of the asuras. They terrorised the people, ruled with threat and fear, and indulged in acts of mindless cruelty.” Vishnu’s Varaha avatar appeared, as did every other avatar, to deliver good and erase evil. The unscrupulous avarice of mankind and its corrupt and vile practices paved the way for the cleansing of the world by ridding it of their insidious influences.

Lord Brahma comes across as an over-kind deity, granting vows at the drop of a hat, and one can hardly dare to wonder if this could be attributed to his lack of judgment or to the overweening play of Fate.

The story of Lord Rama and his Sita proves that, over the centuries, man’s attitude towards women has not changed in the least. As one citizen in the court, blinded by years of patriarchy, said smugly, “Then why did she do what she was not supposed to – step outside her boundaries, that is, when clearly instructed not to? Should she not be punished for that?” According to them, Sita was to be set up as an example to any woman who stepped outside the boundaries of maryada and made to suffer the consequences. Chilling sentiments, that are being followed to this very day, sadly!

Krishna tells the villagers to worship the rains, the land, the crops and the mighty mountain, instead of indulging in frivolous festivities in the name of blind faith, words that still echo, over the centuries.

Dashavatar stands out, not only for the nature of its story telling, but for the truths it expresses so tellingly. The apt illustrations and the classic cover pique the imagination as well. I have no hesitation in saying that this book is one that can be savoured by all age groups.

As I set this book down, I do so with a sense of shock and awe. The tenth avatar of Vishnu, Kalki, is yet to be manifested, a winged being on a white horse holding a sword. “He shall appear when basic humanity would have ceased to exist and we, as a world, would have reached deplorable levels of cruelty and depravity. The predictions say that only the evil and the corrupt will rule the world. Power and money will become the only criteria to judge a person’s worth.”

I can almost hear the rustle of wings…