Yadaa
yadaa hi dharmasya
Glaanirbhavati
Bharata
Abhyutthanam
adharmasya
Tadaatmanam
srujyamyaham
Oh
son of Bharata (Arjuna), whenever righteousness is threatened and
whenever unrighteousness is rife, I shall reincarnate in this world.
Paritranaya
saadhoonam
Vinaashaayacha
dushkrutaam
Dharmasansthaapanaarthaaya
Sambhavaami
yuge yuge
I
shall keep incarnating in every age (yuga after yuga) in order to
protect the sadhoos (the good), to destroy the evil doers and in
order to re-establish the order of righteousness (dharma).
That
was the promise Krishna had made to humanity through his discourse to
Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra - the discourse which makes
up the subject of the Bhagawad Gita.
The
Krishna Key - The title of this book by Ashwin Sanghi sounds very
intriguing. It is all the more intriguing when you read the blurb
which says it is the story of a young man who thinks he is the tenth
avatar of Krishna - the Kalki avatar - only he is a serial murderer.
Open
the book and you see a map of the kingdoms during the Mahabharat era.
One of the features of the book is the rich illustrations
throughout, keeping the reader's interest alive from the beginning to
the end of the 464 pages.
Each
chapter begins with a section of the story of Krishna, narrated in
the words of Krishna, followed by the main story. The pace of the
novel is extremely racy and makes for very exciting reading.
The
sheer depth of research undertaken by Sanghi comes through as one
reads on. The story takes us to Kalibangan and thereon to various
parts of India in Gujarat, Rajasthan and North India on the trail of
an ancient secret – Krishna's legacy.
It
is fascinating to read about Krishna's Dwarka (then known as
Dwarawati) which now lies under the sea off the coast of Gujarat and
the Yadava clans who lived on the banks of the Saraswati. Sanghi
comes up with very interesting theories about how these clans got
scattered due to the drying up of the river, with some of them moving
westwards towards Sumeria (modern day Iraq) and the rest towards
Vrindavan and Mathura. If one were to believe his theory, many of the
cultures in what was considered to be Sumerian civilization
originated from Dwarka and the Sumerians
and subsequent civilizations in
the area were actually descendents of the Yadava clans. Hmm.....
far-fetched may be, but no doubt interesting and not totally
unbelievable, given the way he has presented it. (Of course, he has
clearly made a disclaimer at the beginning stating that "no
claim regarding historical accuracy is made expressly or implied").
It is equally mind boggling to see how he puts together different
aspects of our Vedic culture like Vedic Mathematics, the emphasis on
certain numbers which are considered to be auspicious such as the
number 9, the numbers 18, 108, 1008, 10008, the concept of pyramids
and their properties of concentrating energy, the six pointed stars,
..... you name it and it is there. What is even more amazing is the
sheer logic which makes everything appear so plausible.
The
plot of the thriller is merely a framework to present this very
gripping perspective on our Vedic sciences and times. Could you ever
imagine that the Atlantis could be Dwarka? Well, why not, if you
accept the author's line of thinking? Can you accept that Mount
Kailash is an alchemist's pyramid? Is there any way you can connect
Mount Kailash, Dwarka, Mathura, Vrindavan, Somnath, the Taj Mahal,
Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and the Mughals?????? Well read the book to
find out.
As
for the plot of the story, it is very entertaining and fast paced
with surprising twists and turns.
