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V. Raghunathan. 2014. Harper Collins Publishers India. 307 pages. Paperback. Cover is clean and unmarked. Binding is very tight. Pages are clean and unmarked. All proceeds support the Sacramento Public Library. Thank you for your interest in this book. V. Raghunathan. 2014. Harper Collins Publishers India. 307 pages. Paperback. Cover is clean and unmarked. Binding is very tight. Pages are clean and unmarked. All proceeds support the Sacramento Public Library. Thank you for your interest in this book. See less
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Duryodhana Paperback – September 1, 2014

by V. Raghunathan (Author)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 83 ratings
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A book that explores the many shades of grey that make up Duryodhana, the villain of the Mahabharata.
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  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    HarperCollinsIndia
  3. Publication date
    September 1, 2014
  4. Dimensions
    5.12 x 1.18 x 7.87 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    9351363309
  6. ISBN-13
    978-9351363309
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollinsIndia; 2014th edition (September 1, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9351363309
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9351363309
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 1.18 x 7.87 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 83 ratings

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V. Raghunathan

V. Raghunathan

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
83 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Vinod Dhall
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2015
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Raghunandan must be congratulated on the "contrarian" but highly plausible re-take on Mahabharat
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Shwetha Arvind
4.0 out of 5 stars If only Suyodhana had a Raghunathan...
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2015
If only Suyodhana had a Raghunathan...

I have always pondered if, Mahabaratha is a detailed account of incidents that occurred thousands of years ago or a story over told and over written across generations...Is it history or mythology? With plenty of characters and intertwined chapters it surely is a potpourri where one can choose a character at random and analyse it infinitely, without realizing that you start with one character but end with lot more.

Your psychological and logical reasoning has made it more as an Ithihasa and not mere mythology, thus making us look at the characters more as humans and not demi Gods. No human behavior is white or black, thus how can there be good or bad people? Every situation in Mahabaratha seems to be a test of true character and strength with Kunthiputras and Kauravas surpassing and failing equally. If one planned to murder his cousins as his Rajyadharma, the others killed their kin in the name of war. As you rightly said we may have to consider the aggregate of these situations in one's life to recognize someone as "good" or "bad". Even then how accurate would we be? For human nature is grey and situations subjective.

I am glad that you have spoken about Suyodhana's insecured upbringing. A blind father (D for our reference) riddled with insecurity from his childhood, though capable, always reminded of his physical disability to rule, that finally when he got the opportunity he was blinded not just by sight but by mind too. Kuntiputras had no rightful claim over the land as their father had abdicated the throne. Why didn't D make it clear to Kunti or his ministers about it at an early stage? If Suyodhana could think of it at that age, why didn't a king with all his knowledge of Rajyapaalan think of it? Or did he but coupled with so called love for his sibling, place it in a parking lot that it eventually needed a whole kingdom. Well for some reason D reminds me of Dr. Manmohan Singh. Good and loyal but weak and insecure to rule.

May be it was the same insecurity in him that drove Gandhari to take such a silly but drastic step of blindfolding her eyes. If D had said "G be my eyes", things would have been different. But I think he was more of "Everybody can see but not me...I am told you have beautiful eyes but alas I cannot see you with these eyes of mine." A "devoted" wife that she was, maybe she put husband first before her children (in the future), without thinking what psychological impact she might have on their upbringing - a blind father and blindfolded mother.

Yes, Panchali was not dishonoured when she was disrobed by Sushasana but by Yudhishtira when he pledged her to massage his vanity. Suyodhana trusted his wife and best friend by saying "Thodukava, Allava (string it or collect it)". Yet Mahabharatha fails to make a behavioral comparison but looks at them as isolated events. War would have been inevitable even if Suyodhana had agreed to give them five villages. Especially after thirteen years of Vanvaas and all the other embarrassments, the Kuntiputras would have certainly waged a war.

Why is Mahabaratha so pro Kuntiputras? Beats me...is it because of Krishna or Bhagavad Geetha? Why is it not Grey Vs Grey? Or is it that however good or powerful one's thought may be, by dishonouring a woman all valour is lost however momentary your actions may be? Is this less equivalent to calculatively murdering five innocent boys and their mother in the name of Rajyadharma or severing Ekalavya's thumb or killing Drona by allowing him to misinterpret "Ashwathama Hatha Kunjaraha"? Or maybe though the characters are immortal, Mahabaratha is based on a different timeline, a society that had a different take on what is acceptable and what is not.

Would we be talking about all the losers of great wars hundreds of years from now, by justly considering their good and bad deeds? Just like Suyodhana they had their plus and minuses. As Suyodhana was important to Hastinapura, so were they to their countries. Just like the Kuntiputras the Allies were no short of improper and immoral decisions, be it Bay of Pigs, Jallian Wallah Bagh or killing of thousands of native Indians (American) or the massacre during French Revolution. Some may call them Concentration camps while others may call them Guillotine and gun powder - the consequence being the same. Yet why do we speak of the losers alone as the bad guys? Maybe if they had won the war, history would have been written differently.

As I said earlier if only Suyodhana had someone like you, maybe he would have chosen a court to argue his points instead of game of dice. Loved the logical reasoning. This is the first time I have read all the hundred names of the Kaurava princes.

Thank you Mr.Raghunathan for the thought provoking book.
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anonymous
3.0 out of 5 stars Average
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2015
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The perspective is very interesting. I would have given the book 4 stars if the writing style was better. It is very repetitive and therefore stretches.
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Sushma B
5.0 out of 5 stars Duryodhana is undoubtedly impressive – the character and the book!
Reviewed in India on December 1, 2014
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When I read the title of the book, the initial reaction was, “what is so great about the character of Duryodhana in Mahabharatha that one is driven to write a book on him”. One can understand Karna, Arjuna, Bheema, Krishna, Bhishma et all, who all are perceived as larger than life characters, but Duryodhana! I was also arrested by the age old belief created by all the epics and dramas, that Duryodhana is a scheming villain of the Mahabharatha. “Or was he”, ponders Dr Raghunathan.

When I started reading the book, I found it intriguing from the first page. The story is predictable and one knows what is going to happen next, yet what made it a page turner for me is the language, subtle humour, simple yet captivating narration and most of all the natural flow. None of the incidents seem skewed or concocted.

Personally, reading the book was a different experience altogether. I never thought much of Duryodhana because of the picture projected by history, but after reading the book, I have immense respect and also empathize with him. He comes across as a good friend, brother, son, husband and most of all a true warrior who did everything in his own right to protect his kingdom which was rightfully his.

If we look at some of the incidents from the management perspective, hitting the bird’s eye tells us, that while it is fine to have undivided attention and focus on the goal, it is imperative for a leader to keep stock of the surroundings. The game of dice is a classic example to recognize the boundaries one needs to maintain as a king, husband or brother. Vastraharna episode tells us of the grave consequences that can happen because of lack of communication and misunderstanding.

All these years I have known Mahabharatha from the Pandava’s side, but thanks to Dr Raghunathan, to show that the same incident or episode, changes the entire perspective if looked at from another angle. It is difficult to judge someone good or bad in isolation as there are many things to consider before declaring someone good or bad.
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Krishna Kanagal
4.0 out of 5 stars Duryodhana or suyodhana
Reviewed in India on June 24, 2018
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The various ways duryodhana was not guilty has been very convincingly narrated. Expected it to include his view of the events in the war.
Many places where a lot of the emotions, events, the why's and the what's have been repeated not once but multiple times (one can easily skip those parts) was slightly annoying.
But overall the book has a nice flow and gives a perspective about what the other side of the story might have been, and again it's very convincing.
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Good and fine
Reviewed in India on July 4, 2017
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It is a GOOD book. if we look deep into the epic to value the book's credibility, then the author might fail to explain. But as a plot the author's writting skill is quite marvelous to gain sympathy to the main character. Overall the book is good and will tempt the reader to have a multi perspective analysis of the epic
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Kasjax
5.0 out of 5 stars Life is never black or white. The author presents an excellent and credible alternate viewpoint of Duryodhana.
Reviewed in India on September 12, 2017
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I have much admiration for people who swim against the current. It requires power, be it muscle or will. The interpretation of the character of Duryodhana in the epic Mahabharata has generally been a negative one. The epic portrays him as representing adharma, whereas the pandavas are generally portrayed as upholding dharma. Life is never black or white. If it were, there would be no need for a jury or lawyers arguing for the underdog. Raghunathan capably takes up the case of Duryodhana, and, as a seasoned advocate would, argues against the injustice done by the public interpretation of Duryodhana. And, what a strong defence the author mounts! At the end of the book, one turns sympathetic, sheds the timeworn prejudices and sees Duryodhana in a new light - as a king who is obsessed with rajdharma, as a devoted brother and as an ardent husband. Raghunathan is a master in summoning logical arguments in compelling and lucid language to justify the decisions made by Duryodhana to combat the perceived slights and injustice. His analysis of why he should be the king and not Yudhishthira is so well argued. As I neared the end of the book, I wondered how Raghunathan would go about justifying 'Panchali's vastraharan'. He deftly offers a credible alternate scenario which could well absolve any sinister motive. Brilliant.
The book is a page turner strewn with passages exuding style, logic and credible points of view. Excellent read.
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An avid book reader
4.0 out of 5 stars A must read
Reviewed in India on October 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
Read it just to understand what Duryodhana.... Oops Suyodhana had in his mind. This book canvases all of them as humans. So, none of them were different from another. Still we all balme Suyodhana for Mahabharat. Is it right? Think and go for this one.
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