By Sunil Kumar
Dharma: Decoding The Epics For A Meaningful Life by Amish Tripathi and Bhavna Roy is the third book I’m reviewing.
Coming as a set of two with the delectable ‘Venkatesa Suprabhatam’ sent to me, I was intrigued and slightly excited by the title.
Having met Amish once in Mumbai, his enthusiasm and lively personality had created a positive and favourable impression about his works/oeuvre.
This book however was a let-down of sorts. Instead of deep insights into the original epics/mahakavyas the book is more of a rambling, flippant take full of references to the Amishverse. Unless the reader has gone through Amish’s new-age take on the epics(Meluha, Sita, Ravana etc) and that too with great and piercing attention, the book will seem jarring.
There is nothing very new here. Although the language is easy to read, I thought the book was aimed more at a ‘Dude’ demographic who might be confused about both Bach and Brihaspati. Amish and the co-author have created a mish mash of sorts that is all over the place.
I remember reading ‘Sophie’s World’ by Jostein Garder many years ago that was a better outline into the world of Western philosophy for a ‘supposedly’ younger group. Similarly, ‘Atmatirtham’ by Sri Ramanacharana Tirtha Nochur Venkataraman (bio of Adi Shankaracharya) that I’m currently wading through is delightful from a Dharmic standpoint.
A basic contention here is that with a name like ‘Dharma: Decoding The Epics’, readers may have expected more of a major author such as Amish Tripathi who is quite cogent in his arguments otherwise.
The epics are the bedrock of Indian culture and there have been countless books and discussions on the same. There are still worlds within left to unearth.
One would read a new non-fiction title to acknowledge or even learn from some fresh, creative perspective. To be constantly critical is easier than coming up with a very relatable, impactful and meaningful argument.
Freud, the Greek philosophers, Lao Tzu, Confucius, the Chinese Communist Party, Victor Frankl et al have been mentioned in the book, but only in passing and one has to make up his/her own mind as to what the authors intend to convey. Many topics/emotions are discussed, but the overall effect is shallow and there seems to be an absence of delving deep.
The positives in this book are the easily readable text. Some open-ended questions posed here can lead to a new chain of thought and challenge long-held archetypes.
Cannot begrudge any author some self-promotion but there is a lot of it here. The epics are oceans of thought and perspectives, inspiring Sanskrit playwrights to modern intellectuals and people throughout the ancient/contemporary Indosphere.
Even if they have to be made relatable to a certain young demographic or whatever the author is aiming at, in my frank opinion, it needed a better and detailed narrative.
