Rise of the Sun Prince

Ramayana: The Game of Life #1

by Shubha Vilas

Ramayana: The Game of Life (Book 1), one of the world's great literary masterpieces, skillfully retold for modern audiences. Epics like the Ramayana have been recounted infinite times. Is there a need for another chronicle in the presence of so many? How is this one different? And is it relevant to our ever-changing modern lives?

Yes, there is a need, yes this is different and yes, it is relevant. This new series of books, each following one khand of the Ramayana, decodes the eternal wisdom of that poetic scripture through gripping narrative and thought-provoking instruction. In the time-honored custom of spreading wisdom through tales, every fascinating story in the epic is retold here and every character unfolded to captivate your heart and open your mind to life's deepest questions.

The narrative closely follows Valmiki's Ramayana, gently weaving in folk tales as well as the beautiful analogies of the Kamba Ramayana. The first of this six-volume series, Rise of the Sun Prince, takes you through the divine story of Lord Rama from His birth up to His marriage. Through these pages are revealed the tales of Dasaratha's leadership, Vishwamitra's quest for power and the intriguing story of a little-known stone maiden. Ramayana: The Game of Life has all of this and much more - food for contemporary thought drawn from an enduring masterpiece.

Genres: Mythology, Spirituality, Hinduism, Philosophy

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2013

About the author

I am: A spiritual seeker and a motivational speaker.

Academics: 1] B.E in Electronics and Telecommunications
2] L.L.B Specializing in Intellectual Property Law : Patent Law.

Leadership Seminars: Focus on relevant and vital themes: ‘Secrets of Lasting Relationships’, ‘Soul Curry to Stop Worry’ and ‘Work–Life Balance’

Believes: A good teacher sees learning and teaching as integral twin aspects of personal and spiritual growth.

Social interaction: I zoom down on
A} Youth: Periodically interact with them in premier institutes like IISC, Bangalore, BITS Pilani, Goa, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Sydnem College. I aim to inspire them to live a life based on deeper human values.
B} Children: Guide towards teaching foundational values through masterful storytelling.
C} Individuals: Practical applications of the Bhagavad Gita; the Ramayana and Vedas in today’s world.
D} Business leaders: as their lifestyle coach, conducting regular classes on Spirituality and Management to help them live a wholesome life.

Reviews

[Vishnu Chevli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third book by Shubha Vilas, and trust me he never disappoint his readers. Shubha Vilas' writing shows his expertise as an orator and inspirational speaker. He always makes sure that Religion is not just shown as mythological or magical stories but the ocean of learning for mankind.

As rightly mentioned in the blurb, "The Game of Life - Rise of the Sun Prince" is first "khand" of epic Ramayana. The story depicts golden days of Ayodhya when it was ruled by the king Dasharatha. Ram, son of Dasharatha, was born out of divine sacrifice. Four main stories of this book would be,
1) Background of Dasharatha & Ayodhya
2) Childhood of Ram
3) Ram's adventure with Vishwamitra
4) Sita's Swayamwar & Ram's wedding with Sita

I would say there is nothing new in story part, as on any given hour of any given day you will find Ramayana or related mythological scene playing on one or another channel. But innovative part of the series is author's deep understanding of action of each character. Author has successfully explained each action with proper message. Simply speaking, the book is divided into two parts, the story, and the learning. Though learning part is given as footer (as support to the main story), you will find equal weight given to learning. On many pages, you will find only a few lines of the main story but 80% page with learning. I think without this learning, this book might have ended as another version Ramayana. You can take story lightly but if you miss learning part you would regret it later

Detailed review Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.in/2017/05...

[Jaideep Khanduja · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://pebbleinthestillwaters.blogspo...

Book Review: Rise Of The Sun Prince: Shubha Vilas: An Excellent Epic Saga Redefined

Touching an Epic Masterpiece that has already established its deep roots in every heart and mind for years, is really a hilarious job. On top of it when you touch it, you add more significance to it, more value to it and make it more meaningful for the current generations. Shubha Vilas has done a wonderful job in taking an uphill task of rewriting the great Indian Epic Masterpiece Ramayana and the first book Ramayana: The Game of Life: Rise Of The Sun Prince Book 1 is out for the modern readers to read Ramayana in a context where they don't lose the originality of the story but in addition keep knowing the in depth meaning of each and every action & activity that happened in Ramayana.

The saga of Ramayana, as we all know was written by Valmiki in verses and the mammoth masterpiece contains over 24,000 verses, 640 chapters across 6 books. The current volume - Rise of the Sun Prince takes it readers through the birth (and pre-birth) era of Rama to the marriage of Lord Rama with Sita. As we all know that Ramayana is a beautifully written saga of Prince Rama, son of Dashratha, the king of Ayodhaya. The book tells the purpose of Ramayana in a very simplified manner. Saint Valmiki was looking for a great hero, greatest of all, to write about him and present it to world to follow. When Valmiki asked Narada about who is the best hero among all, Valmiki further elaborated his question on the description of who a hero is - the one who is full of qualities, bearing the best behavior, bravest and daring, truthful and so on. Narada took some time to let it be known to Rishi Valmiki that it is none other than Lord Rama who can be put forth as an example to the world to follow as an ideal.

Rishi Bhardwaj knew that if the saga of Rama is to be told to the world, it can be written in the best way by none other than Valmiki. It was important to make Valmiki realize about his potential to write such a huge saga masterpiece in such a manner that at no point of time it loses its beauty and connect. So through an incident with a hunter, Valmiki got to know about his potential of presenting the things in verses style. And thus Valmiki was convinced about writing Ramayana. Once Ramayana was finished by Valmiki, he had to find out the best of the narrators to spread the word around.

Sita, along with Lov and Kush was living with Valmiki during that period and it took no time for Valmiki to identify Lov and Kush as the best narrators to travel all across and sing the verses of Ramayana to general public so as to know about the brave deeds and extreme character of Rama. The epic was sung in such a beautiful manner that the words of the praises of Lov and Kush reached the kingdom of Ayodhya. Lord Rama invited Lov and Kush to visit the kingdom and sing Ramayana among all present there. Both sides were not aware about their relationship though Rama knew that the epic hero being sung is none other than him but he never let others realize.

Shubha Vilas has done a wonderful job in presenting Ramayana: The Game of Life: Rise Of The Sun Prince Book 1 in such an interesting manner that the reader not only stays engaged to the story but get an altogether different insightful meaning of the story, book, characters and the purpose behind it.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

[Shinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complexity of ideas and Simplicity of words
...in my view, the above combination makes for rich literature.

The author forces your eyes to read laterally and vertically at the same time. Every incident has its parallel interpretation and insight as a footnote.

The narrative ,in a non-linear sequence goes through Rama's childhood up to his marriage. Delightfully , the latter half focuses on Vishwamitra. His repeated attempts, failures and sheer perseverance to become Brahmarishi is a beacon of hope for every person who loses heart at failure in life.

There are slivers of refreshing details: like Ayodhya following the rainwater harvest system; why Ayodhya means unconquerable; how Saraswati tongue-twisted Kumbhakarna into deep slumber; why Kaam dev is called Ananga( thus implying that Lust is merely a state of mind). Why Rama snapped the Shiva bow instead of merely stringing it; there is a lucid clarification for it too.

There are nuggets of sharp one-liners in the footnote:
Personal favorites include 1. To make mistakes implies lack of foresight; not repeating mistakes is a sign of intelligence 2.The mind is a connoisseur in converting trivial puddles into bottomless oceans. 3. A good leader knows the art of delegation. He himself carries the most demanding role- of being Inspiration 4. Most people want a mentor who will tell them exactly what they want to hear. The process of mentoring the mentor 5. The most vulnerable time to commit mistakes is when victory is close at hand 6. The degree of insult is inversely proportional to the size of the entity causing it.
Such countless gems scattered across the book warrant encores and re-re-rereads.

My only grudge would be making the marriage age of Rama as 12 years. Especially as there is love at first sight and Sita's feverish feelings for Rama's broad shoulders. At age 12?

A few questions: If Parshuram, Rama and Krishn were all reincarnations of Vishnu;
1. How did Parshuram coexist with the latter two? Parshuram was a Brahmin who annihilated Kshatriyas, while Rama & Krishn were Kshatriyas.
2. If Rama gave up Sita to uphold his citizens’ doubts over her purity; Krishn married 16,000 women to uphold their doubtful purity. Isn’t that a study in contrasts?
I am confident the author will take up the gauntlet and provide us with lucid clarifications in his coming series.
That aside, Book 1 makes one anticipate Book 2 for more interwoven tales, fresh perspectives, well-researched details and of course, that treasure trove of insightful footnotes.

[Rupertt Wind · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Rise of the Sun Prince by Shubha Vilas is essentially the part one (Bala Kanda) of the indian scripture Ramayana as written by the sage Valmiki, mixed with a few anecdotes and embellishments from the Kamba Ramayana (another version of the sacred text). I am not here to write a commentary on the scripture, it has been returned way too many times. As far as my review of Ramayana goes I will just for a line from this book. "Ramayana is not a book, it is a way of life".


Unlike the numerous renditions of the epic out there, what makes this one stand out is a set of essential yet simple qualities. The book is simple yet elaborate, the story is decomposed just enough for the casual reader to understand and yet it is sophisticated enough to prevent itself from being turned into yet another soulless recital. Vilas has added more than enough description and commentary to the age old tale that at times it's just annoying to see the sheer volume of his commentary wrestling out the epic out of it's own pages.


The story is retold with much detail and sans boring rhetoric. This is not a book for serious and concerned study of Ramayana, but it is all you would want if the aim is to reread the fables or just to tell your kids the famous bedtime story of India. This is the book that you could want your children to read if you want them to be part of that wonderful world of kings, queens and the many many adventures that you were once part of.


This book comes with a rather colorful front- page and spills on to about 250 pages. Jaico does a good job with the packaging and delivers the content for a sum of 250 Indian rupees (that's hardly 4 dollars and odd cents). yep books in India are rather cheap. My verdict is that it's a good book to have for your kids to read and for you to casually brush up the story.

[moonlight_review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ramayana: The Game of Life - Roar with Courage
by Shubha Vilas
Published by Jaico Publishing House
Genre :- self-help book
Roar of Courage is the first book of Ramayana :The Game of life series. It exposed us to the struggles of an imperfect teacher, one who relentlessly fight his internal battles to rise above his shortcomings. Book also unravels the story of Sita, whose life revolves around a bow.
As author says every one of us falls into one of the three categories in the game of life : positive contributor, negative destroyer or protective mediator. Which one you are?
It is an attempt to present the timeless story, Ramayana in a way that is entertaining to the heart and enlightening to the intellect. Book is packed plenty of exciting drama and action.
Book also reveals to us the range of principles that underlie the healthy relationship in our lives. It has full of twists and turns at every stage. The language can be easily understandable.
Definitely recommended!

[Kumar Jagannath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Ramayana: The Game of Life
Name of the Book: Ramayana: The Game of Life (Book 1)
Author the Book: Sri Shubha Vilas Prabhu
Published By: Jaico Books
Published In: India
Printed At: Rashmi Graphics
Cost of Book: Rupees 250
Currency: Rupee
Year of Publication: 2014
Number of Pages: 252 Pages
Name of Reviewer: Kumar Jagannath
The intellectual majesty of the Ramayana: depicting the eternal drama of the materialistic an d spiritualistic existence of humans, with all its ironies and intricacies, complexities and cadences, mysteries and melodies, subtleties and susceptibilities, psychological heights and emotional depths, is equally unrivalled in the entire range of world literature.
The immortal epic Ramayana is unique in every way. It gives an account of persons with different qualities, maxims for right conduct and indicates the right way to realize god. With its hundred thousands of slokas, it is a “full treatise on the science of society giving portraits, customs, and heroic deeds of persons and contains a picture of universal movement, light and shades”. In his own inimitable manner Sri Valmiki Maharishi has bought home to us the truth that sin and sinfulness are certain to be destroyed and even good souls, if they associate with these.
Philosophy seldom appeals to the mind. But in Ramayana even the most abstruse philosophic truths are put across by means of stories and legends. This is the secret o fits popularity among all classes of people. We find priceless teachings in this great Hindu epic of Ramayana. This is a book which must be placed in the hands of the young to awaken in them an awareness of our rich moral heritage and to lift them from the dropping faith in values.
Sri Shubha Vilas Prabhuji has brought out a wonderful picturesque Ramayana: The Game of Life (Book 1) which consists of Sri Rama’s Bala Kanda, and a part of Ayodhya Kanda. It is a great book which points out the essence of Ramayana without any dilution. The most aspect of the book is the branched stories from excerpts from Kamba Ramayana as well while maintaining the pace and quality. A must read for all ages who want a glimpse into the greatest epic of our Sanatana Dharma, Although there were different versions all these years , the author has captured the narrative an a very eloquent manner which is a literary delight. The book focuses on real life instances and presents them in the most wonderful manner. Every word, line, sentence, paragraphs, pages, and the whole book is wonderful and imaginable. The footnotes are also very educative and knowledgeable. There is lot of lessons to learn from this book.
I got this book on recommendation with intention to learn and appreciate one of the greatest epics of Indian culture, and I stand proud of my decision. Not only is it a great read, but at many points throughout the book the efforts that author (Sri Shubha Vilas prabhuji) made for in-depth grasp of moral values (dharma and karma) with motive of practical implementation, stands to be appreciated. All this with subtlety and rather further enriching the flow of the story is truly commendable. It is in complete simple English. This wonderful book is recommended by me to one and all. It is worth buying book. Now I am eagerly waiting for the release of Ramayana: The Game of Life (Book 2).
The Ramayana, India's extraordinary tale of adventure, love, and wisdom, is now easily accessible for all readers.

[Moon Rose (M.R.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oftentimes, the world we live in today shies away from what is ideal, immune to the harsh reality of living, which majority believes could no longer be changed, idealism has somehow lost its sparkle and magic. It no longer serves its purpose in our lives that most considered difficult and eternally unresolved as the bitter truth, the way we collectively see and experience it...is far from its sweet promise of Heaven.

Why did we end up this way?... Why despite the technology we are enjoying today, we are still somehow disconnected from one another? What is the purpose of this advancement, but to keep us closer and somehow alleviate our way of living into an ideal oneness, yet segregation is still thriving as it is evidently present engulfing the world in competition as the poor becomes poorer and the rich becomes richer and why in spite of the lessons already imparted by history about it and of the great wisdom already bestowed by the prophets from the time of the antiquities, we are still somehow detached from the whole? As disparity lingers still on our horizon, diluting whatever good we have already earned in the past. As we allow greed, pride, envy, lust and fear to still reign in our hearts, imprisoning our minds to the fleetingness of worldly and material pursuits, to these ephemeral feelings of nothingness. In short, a life that is devoid of any internal meaning, of higher ideals as it totally lacks what is truly essential to feed the soul.

It is apparent that what we collectively lack, is what we are in most terrible need of, not realizing an ounce of the weight and significance of this need until we first learn to believe and somehow learn to desire for it with all our hearts. To become ideal is no easy feat, but to know and recognize first the brilliance of its light is already a huge step towards it.

Yes, the brilliance of its light, the luminance of goodness, which brings me to this wonderful book, The Rise of the Sun Prince filled with the radiance and magic we should all aspire. This Indian mythology about the story of Lord Rama that brings back to mind the essentials that we need to connect back to the true essence of our heart, where our soul resides in its somewhat slumbering aspect of divinity. ☾☯

[Nishaben B · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're someone who's interested in Hinduism or perhaps you're a young Hindu who doesn't know much about their religion, Shubha Vilas's books are 100% a good way to start learning.
Vilas has put a lot of thought and time into not only reading the scriptures and then translating them but also providing meaning behind some of the intricate parts of the stories that could easily be looked over.
I've learnt SO much from the first two books and I really enjoy reading them because of the writing style.
The only thing I would add, is that these are the first books I have read that haven't been light-hearted entertainment and so sometimes it takes me a while to get back into them after not reading for a while. I would still definitely recommend, even if it takes longer to read one book.
I love the way that sometimes if I'm reading this on a particularly bad day for myself, I often finish reading after an hour or so feeling a lot more positive. It's like reading Vilas's book provides me with a more positive outlook on life. The impartial view on some of the events that happen within the Ramayana are listed as footnotes throughout the book and they encourage the reader to evaluate what they have read and how you can use the teachings of the Ramayana in your everyday life.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and I hope that Vilas gets all the credit he deserves for translating and explaining teachings of Hinduism in such an accessible way. Rise of the Sun PrinceShubha Vilas

[Vaishali Sekar Rama · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of the incredible book especially Sita's Swayamvar.

[Soumya Prasad · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something so fascinating about mythology, that keeps you glued to the book with its descriptions and depictions. Just like the Mahabharata, the Ramayana also has been re-told many times. I recently had read a condensed version of the original Ramayana but I was only too glad to read this one. Shubha Vilas's Ramayana is a series of six books, and 'Rise Of The Sun Prince' is the first book of the series. The cover of the book looks magical, with bows and arrows and brilliant hues of green, purple and blue. The cover casts a spell and soon you cannot wait to devour the book. I know the tale pretty well, but I wanted to see if this book does justice to the actual epic.

The book starts with the search of a Hero. Valmiki muni asks his guru Narada muni as to who is a hero. Can a hero be powerful and vulnerable at the same time? Can a hero be grateful and determined? Can a hero be beautiful and yet not be vain? Can a hero be everything good without a trace of the bad? This book is a quest to answer this question. When Valmiki was entrusted to write down the tale of the great hero, Ramayana was born.

Here, the hero is not Rama alone. Almost all the male protagonists are heroes who have well defined characters and hold up on their own, just like the original epic. Starting with Dasaratha and his wives and his quest for a male heir. The tale of the divine sweet is a well known one, but it is brought out beautifully in this book. Kaushalya, Keikeyi and Sumitra are shown to be beautiful and their tales arouse curiosity and tears at times. Manthara and her vicious mind makes a good chapter too. Dasaratha's sons and the meaning behind their names form a complete chapter in the book and is clearly the most interesting one. Shubha Vilas has done complete justice to Dasaratha's tale.

However, the real hero of this book remains the sage who battles demons within himself and turns from the angry sage Bala, to the spiritual Vishwamitra and his painstaking efforts to achieve the title of Brahmarishi! Vishwamitra stands out in the tale, when he takes Rama and Lakshmana under his guidance to teach them the various skills of battle and life. The narration is detailed, brilliant and life like. You can almost imagine it unfold in front of you like it did twenty years ago on the television. But this one is more modern, more colorful and honestly, makes more sense. This first book talks about the birth of Rama until his wedding to the beautiful daughter of Janaka and the confluence of the two mighty kingdoms of Ayodhya and Mithila. Ravana and his lecherous schemes do make an appearance, but is limited. I am fascinated by his character and look forward to read more of him in the coming books.

The best part of this book however remains the footnotes on almost every page that simplifies the wisdom and shows the reader a new direction. Even a person having no clue about this saga can read this book with ease. Each and every page screams out a tale on its own, which hold your interest throughout. Shubha Vilas takes times to build his characters giving ample spotlight to everyone, even if they only make a brief experience in Rama's life. Ramayana is primarily known only for the love story between Rama and Sita and her kidnapper Ravana. But the author here shows that this great saga is more than that. This book is supposed to portray a chapter of Valmiki's Ramayana called 'Bala Kanda', but it does more than that.

Vishamitra is the standout in this book, but the love story of Rama and Sita is damp. They look like they are infatuated with each other, rather than in love. The author uses ample words to describe their physical aspects but does not concentrate enough on their love. Maybe it shall be shown in the later books, but here the love story is a let down. Even though this book is written for the modern audience, there are some scenes that spell fantasy alone. I, being a practical reader who looks for logic every where, found it hard to digest a few over miraculous scenes. Some precise edition, and this book would have been near perfect.

Personally, I feel that six is way too big a number for a series. Probably Harry Potter fans would disagree, but I find it difficult to believe that a single story would hold the interest of a reader for six whole books. Probably three or max four books would have been sufficient to re-tell this tale. But going by the first book, it looks like the author plans to spend some good time on each and every character that has been a part of this epic. The first book doesn't disappoint, so hopefully the following books holds the interest of the reader. I received an autographed copy of the book for my review. The second book is called 'Shattered Dreams' and shall be out soon.

Verdict: A delightful read that teaches you one or two things about life, but only if you are interested in the genre.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

[Eloquent · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://momentsilike.blogspot.in/2014/...

First of all, I have to admit that I was completely mesmerized by the front cover of this book. Kudos to the artist for the cover illustration. I was left gaping at the masterpiece observing the vibrant colors, the depiction of the scene and expressions of the characters. Every subtle nuance has been captured so beautifully that you never wish to shift your gaze. To add to it - the way Lord Rama's lotus eyes and the look of sheer determination in them has been accurately envisioned by the artist to match the author's words is commendable. For once, I felt it right to judge the book by its cover.

Moving on to the book, remember how we have come across the story of Ramayana time and again since childhood of how Lord Rama kills Ravana and rescues Sita? Well, I would say that was only one percent of the entire book.

With this book be ready to experience the real story of Ramayana. Being the first book of a series, this book takes us on a never-before journey to reveal the characters and their stories. The reason why this legendary epic was written, the reason why Valmiki turned out to be the chosen one to write this epic, the history of the kingdom of Ayodhya and its ruler - Dasaratha, the great tales of bravery, compassion, kingship and beyond.

What's different about this book is how every character, instance and situation relates to our present day. Never before did I read the epic to understand and find answers to my life. The author enlightens us with elaborate descriptions to shift our focus from the situation in hand to reveal an underlying way of better living. It helps us to identify ourselves and adorn a clearer perspective towards life.

At many points while reading, I stopped to ponder and ask questions about a particular character or situation. Enter the footnotes. The footnotes at the end of the pages answered my questions in mind-boggling ways.

When it comes to the characters, I experienced Dasaratha’s pain and rejoiced in his happiness as the story progressed. Thanks to the flawless depiction of relationships. The author perfectly portrays the father’s love, care and concern for his son and a teacher’s eye for talent in his disciple. The comparison of perspectives – one for love and attachment and the other for duty made me twirl as my mind transported to the era when unfulfilled commands weren’t merely brushed off instead they were came with free curses.

The only showdown for me was few missing pages from the book. That’s right. My copy of the author-autographed book seemed to miss 8 pages towards the end of the book and that dampened my spirits since I didn’t want to miss the continuity of the narration. Nevertheless, I won’t let that affect the rating since that would be like eating a delicious, sumptuous banquet and not thank the chef.

The glossary describing the 24 qualities of a complete hero reminded me that we are imperfect beings who reside in an imperfect world. We need constant reminders to align ourselves internally and externally so as to conduct ourselves with utmost poise and accuracy.

My rating for this book stands at a perfect 5/5. J

I completely read the book and I was happy to have encountered this version of the epic in addition to what I already knew.

Go ahead and read this book. Indulge yourself in those magical times !

Thank you Shri Shubha Vilas and BlogAdda for this magical book.

This book gave me countless quotes of wisdom. Here I enlist, however, just a few -

"Nature of attachment is such that the mind justifies our attachment and hides our weakness."

"The longer you struggle to get something you are attached to, the more painful is the fear of it's loss."

"Dasaratha loved Rama, but Vishwamitra knew Rama."

"Celebration means sharing your joy making other people happy."

[Subramanyam K.V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now how many times would we have heard about Ramayana, we hear about it everyday. People who were born some 2-3 decades ago would have grown up hearing those stories or watching Ramayana in their TV screens. However, how many of us really know what Ramayana is trying to teach us? Many of us consider Ramayana as a sacred book, that thought process is excellent, but then how may of us really delve into the depths of the book and try and understand what Ramayana is teaching us ?

“Ramayana” is Ramasya ayana. Ayana means walk, Ramasya Ayana means the walk of Lord SriRama. Why is the walk of Lord SriRama important ? It is important because satyam and dharmam were visible in each and every step of his. There are many lessons of life hidden inside this great scripture, it was the guiding light for many people in this country during the yester years. Today we are slowly drifting away from it.

At this juncture Sri Shubha Vilas Das’s “Ramayana : The game of life” series and the first book of the series “The rise of the Sun Prince” makes a lot of sense. While we have a lot of books on Ramayana, getting an as is translation to the original is tough. Then getting the interpretation to the events and getting pointers on how we can implement the learnings in our daily lives is very very tough these days.

Shubha Vilas Das in his book, tried to be as close to the original Valmiki Ramayana as possible. He took a few things from Kamba Ramayanaa too but then that does not kill the sanctity of the Valmiki Ramayana. This book is based on the Balakanda of Sri Ramayana. In this we see SriRama’s childhood, Viswamitra’s mentorship, the life events of a lot Ikshwaaku kings, Important things like Kumara Sambhavam, Ganagavataranam and Sri Rama Kalyanam. Shubha Vilas has really taken great care and brought all of them as is from the original scriptures and added some good interpretations when needed. Having read the original BalaKanda of Ramayana, I can reiterate that this book has very few deviations from the original one. There are excellent laws which Shubha Vilas Das brings to light as he proceeds from chapter to chapter. This to me is a hallmark of the book.



The language of book is simple english and it makes reading the book all the way more enjoyable. Almost in every page, after every section we see Shubha Vilas coming up with an interpretation that will throw more light on the background or the salient points that one ought to take home from the book. Very nice way to bring the original text, interpretations and background stories in a single place.

I started of this post by saying that I was blessed to read this book, yes I mean it. We are living in an age where we are slowly but steadily losing touch with our own epics,we are drifting away from our own scriptures and our own treasures . In this era where materialistic success is the only measure for a man’s achievements, in this age when finances are controlling most of the decisions of life, in this era where the respect for the parents and elders is slowly becoming shaky , in these times when broken marriages are on the rise , its in these times that we need Ramayana more, it’s in these times that we need to learn the life truths from Sri Rama’s life and imbibe those truths in our lives. Shubha Vilas Das ji has done a great job by writing a book that appeals to the modern audience as well. We all need to use this opportunity and learn more things from Sri Ramayana and imbibe them in our lives. We would all be doing ourselves and this universe a great favor by doing this.

[Viju · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Cross posted from http://untitled-thots.blogspot.in/201...)

This is probably the first time I am writing a review for a book, outside of Goodreads. And man, while I thought peer-reviewing research journal articles was hard, reviewing a 200+ page book definitely seems harder.

As a self-confessed fan of Mahabharatha, literally the great epic, I have always found the Ramayana a little too underwhelming in terms of character portrayal. The reason may be because of the epoch (yuga) that it is set in, where the characters are portrayed as either all white or all black, seldom with shades of gray as in the Mahabharatha. It could also be attributed to the type of books I have read previously on the Ramayana (the Rajagopalachari version, Sita by Devdutt Pattanaik and Asura by Anand Neelkantan). But, I was proven (mostly) wrong by the first book in the series, Ramayana – The Game of Life called The Rise of the Sun Prince.

The Game of Life. For a title, this is a pretty ambitious choice, I felt. After getting to somewhere around 50 pages in the book, I realized why the author named the book that way. A few obvious, a few not-so-obvious, a lot of not-at-all-obvious pearls of wisdom on life, correlating to the happenings in the epic are thrown at us. Most of these are in the form of footnotes which are plenty in number, and can get quite distracting too till you get used to them. (Jaya and Sita by Devdutt Pattanaik have similar treatment with respect to trivia, however all of them appear at once at the end of one chapter.)

The main protagonist of this Bala kaanda is actually Vishwamitra, the sage king who has a wonderful chapter on his transition from a king to brahmarishi. A lot of the trivia about the brothers and sister of Ravana, the 350 wives of Dasaratha, the story of the bow that Rama breaks at Janaka’s palace, the ancestors of Janaka are something that I was unaware of. The whole premise is something that is known to any Indian kid who has seen or heard of Ramayana stories in one form or another. But it is this trivia that makes a lot of these epic interpretations interesting and the book definitely delivered a lot more than I expected.

The language is pretty simple and perhaps aimed at multiple markets. One – as a story for someone reading the Ramayana for the first time. Two – as a book to correlate life’s happenings with what the Sun prince faced.

The beauty of the book lies in the overall feel where that it gives. Yes, the book can get philosophical, but it does manage to get so without getting too preachy. Another attribute is that the author is aware that he is dealing with material that has had multiple interpretations, but he still manages to not get influenced by the base material he has (Valmiki Ramayana and Kamba Ramayana) and manages to get his points across with little effort.

A few things that I look forward to in the forthcoming books in the series:

- hopefully better placed footnotes,

- a little deeper analysis into the psyche of the person called Rama, and not the Vishnu avathaar,

- a more conversational narrative than a biographical narrative, and

- no preview to the next book in the series. It is best to end the book at a particular point/juncture which is very significant.

As thanks to this blogadda book review program, I have been able to write a blogpost after really long. I hope this is just a start!

[Anamika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never been much of a Ramayana fan. I've read several versions right from ACK to Devdutt Pattanaik's Sita and The Book of Ram. Asura too, if it can be counted as a 'version' of the book. But somehow The Ramayana has never fascinated me as much as The Mahabarata. Maybe because it is too goody-goody for my liking.

This version is a seven part series (phew!) and this book is just part one. So the narration is detailed and unhurried. Unhurried, but fast paced because I finished the book in two longish sittings on the train while going on my holiday and getting back. It starts off right from the very beginning with how Valmiki got recruited into writing the Ramayana with the background story of his transition from Ratnakar to Valmiki.

This is the Balakanda section and the real hero here is Vishwamitra rather than Rama. But ofcourse, Rama overshadows everything and everyone as he is meant to. Tadakka is killed, Ahalya is 'restored', Subahu is burnt to ashes, Maricha is sent flying 800 miles away. Vishwamitra tells the boys stories about Ganga and other rivers and his and their ancestors. Mantras and weapons are shared, wisdom passed on. Moral science lessons are imparted. Rama, of course, is so good and obedient that it almost hurts. Gaah. If a god is born human he should exhibit some human characteristics. A couple of shades of grey won't hurt, Rama. Lakshmana is just a faint shadow, he does nothing much in this book other than stop a baby Rama from crying. Ravana and his family get their due mention. Still fresh in my memory as the 'good' people from Asura, they are once again painted with that black tar brush here. Dasaratha is the scaredy cat who keeps marrying women to avoid a Kshatriya hating rishi from destroying him. 353 wives and no sons. Serves him right for giving away his only daughter. (Again, Shanta is fresh in my memory after I watched Vaisali last week and read up more about her)

I've always been a sceptical semi believer and so I read this book as mythological fiction rather than as The Ramayana. And since I didn't read it with any reverence, I found the capitalizing of letters when referring to Rama and Sita very irritating. This book is pure prose, simple prose and so I felt that the gushy descriptions of the beauty of Rama and Sita were bit funny and out of place. Moon, sun, lotus blossom beauty. All this works better in poetry or poetic prose. So were the exaggerations such as Ayodhya having twenty million palaces and a moat so large that clouds mistook it for the ocean. And referring to Dasaratha's council of ministers the Big-M was simply hilarious.

The footnotes on every page were extremely distracting and so I stopped reading them after a point. Again, I am forced to draw comparisons to Devdutt Pattanaik's style of afternotes in each chapter. I prefer trivia tidbits rather than blah in the footnotes. And moral lessons and rules to improve the quality of my life? I'll give that a pass please.

But yes, I enjoyed the book. Nothing new here, but it was a good read. I'm not eagerly looking forward to the next six parts, but when they're out, I will most certainly read them. ( Also, there's some rule and order in which The Ramayana should be read. And if you start one kanda you just have to finish the rest or you'll get seven rebirths of bad luck something. I hope Shubha Vilas isn't bringing bad luck to us)

[Ankita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recounting an epic masterpiece saga like Ramayana which is already engraved in the souls of many of us is not an easy job, specially doing justice to it is unfathomable. The author Shubh Vilas of the book 'rise of the sun prince' has done an exemplary justice to the treasures saga Ramayana.

Ramayana is an humongous epic poem of India which narrates the journey of Virtue to annihilate vice, it is ascribes to the Hindu sage Valmiki, Srimad Valmiki Ramayana is composed of verses called Sloka, in Sanskrit language, which is an ancient language from India and a complex meter called Anustup. These verses are grouped into individual chapters called Sargas, wherein a specific event or intent is told. These chapters or sargas are grouped into books called Kaandas where Kaanda means the inter-node stem of sugar cane, or also a particular phase of the story or an event in the course of story telling. Ramayana contains 24,000 verses [sloka] arranged into numerous cantos [sarga] which are contained in 6 books as mentioned earlier.

This is the first installment by Shubh Vilas in the series of six books as per the Valmiki Ramayana. This one chiefly focuses on the "book of youth" Bal kand of Ramayana i.e. the birth period and before the birth of Lord Rama (an avatar of Hindu Supreme god Vishnu) to his marriage with Sita (Avatar of Hindu goddess Lakshmi).

What makes this book different to the numerous recounts is the language author used, it is ideal for the modern readers of this era who don't essentially understand Hindi, sanskrit or ancient language well. Author made sure to keep the commentary simple yet creating a spellbinding strings of episodes that takes a reader to the era where the story actually took place (Treta yug). Although book is not suitable for the in-depth study of Ramayana which I suppose is the purpose of the author, to keep it light and less-complex so that the reader can easily grasp the story in a proper sequence of events. It is an splendid option for kids or readers who wants to brush up their knowledge of Ramayana or those who wants to read Ramayana without having to consult Google all along. Plus the author has weaved the folks tales and Kamba Ramayana to this book connecting the dots.

I specially liked it because with this I hope Author takes the Ramayana to the regions and nations which are still not awakened by the complete thought-provoking epic because this is just not a story but it's a learning, it's understanding the way of life, it's decoding the essence of our birth's meaning and it's an actual tonic for our souls. This book offers a lot which humankind desperately needs. With the unfortunate happenings going around the globe, this version of Ramayana may have a lot to offer to uphold rightness because the ultimate lesson of Ramayana teaches that.

The book is so breathtaking that I couldn't take my eyes off it. It's detailing is absolutely brilliant. I loved it.

It''s hard to rate this book. Please know that this rating is strictly based on this book, not the original sage Valmiki Ramayana.

Read the Review Booklok COffee

[Amrit Sinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

If epics are to be retold, this is how it should be done. Most of us would already be familiar with the basic plot of Ramayana, having heard the stories as bed time tales during our childhood from our parents and grandparents, elder siblings and relatives. However, it’s the treatment meted out in this book that really makes it stand tall among several other modern interpretations.

‘Rise of the Sun Prince’ is basically the ‘Bala Kanda’, or the first part of the epic Ramayana, and deals with fighting grave internal battles and overcoming great odds to emerge victorious and become exemplary. It incorporates the principle of humility, and how pride should be swallowed to focus on your ultimate goal. As humans, we have the tendency to be selfish and self-centered, not caring about the rest. However, the purpose of life and existence is not to just think of your own self, but also the world around us. The book teaches us to let go and surrender to the Supreme One, and always walk towards the path of righteousness. This book doesn't just tell stories, but also guides us in emulating the lessons learnt in our real lives.

Author Shubha Vilas does a great job in presenting the mythological tale in a fresh and unique manner. The narration is crisp, making this book an absolute page-turner. What’s engrossing is the fact that the author has not only stressed on the primary characters, but he seems to have done extensive research to have brought out several other stories that are related to or have lead to the Ramayana. There are stories of Gods, Demi-Gods, Kings and Queens that form an integral part of this narration.

The front cover is striking and colorful, and immediately catches your attention. It depicts Rama and Lakshmana protecting Vishwamitra’s rites from Maricha and Subahu, which is an important sub-plot in this book. This incident, like many others in Ramayana, symbolizes the victory of good over evil, which again is an important lesson in life. It teaches us to be strong, and walk on the path that leads to truth, even though it may be tough, ‘cause evil never persists for long.

Another beautiful feature of this book is the footnote. There are footnotes comprising of anecdotes and key lessons in almost every page, relating to the events that the particular page comprises of. They explain the incidents and their relevance in modern perspective, and how we can adopt them in our lives and learn to live in a better manner.

This is one book that I would label as must read, for the beautiful presentation of the stories of the wonderful epic Ramayana. The style is engrossing, and you really wouldn't like to keep the book down. I am already eager to read the next book in the series – ‘Shattered Dreams’, and trust me, so would you. The magic of epic joins hands with the author’s brilliant story-telling prowess, and we have a book that will surely capture our minds and rule our hearts.

[Biswanath Banerjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the thatched house of the poorest of the poor to the golden palace of the richest of the riches-this epic has unrestricted entry. From the Ghats of Benaras to the sand desert of Rajasthan- the hymns of the same epic make the evening air melodious.
The epic is Ramayana-a way of life to the billions of individuals.
Ramayana is not barely a saga of duty, love and revenge.
It is a story that takes you to a quest-from ignorance to knowledge,from darkness to enlightenment ,from untruth to truth.
It gives a new meaning to your life.

It will not be a superfluous if it is said that for every Hindu –Ramayana is a part of thought and living. To billions of individual Rama is the character who still inspires to frame the character and personality.
So much is the appeal of the epic to the masses, that in almost every region of India and of greater India-a local version accustomed with the culture and anthropological and geographical imperatives of the region do exists. In north India or in south India, in Indonesia or in Laos, in Cambodia or in Vietnam-existence of different versions till date only proves how immensely popular the epic is. There are more than 300 identified versions of the epic story.
If there are so many versions of Ramayana-then why Subha Vilas chose to write ‘Ramayana’-The game of life in six volumes? What is the utility of serving old wine in a new bottle?
True that there are many versions of the epic that still stands immortal defying time-but what I personally felt after reading Book 1-of the six volume series-Rise of the Sun Prince that it is the pioneer attempt to portray the characters from the perspective of a blood and flesh human individual rather than a divine demigod. They have their moments of joy and of tears, have their moments of hope and of despair, have their moments of anger and of calmness and of same control. This has somehow added a unique character to the whole epic- the saga became all embracing where every exhausted soul can found moments of oasis, where every arrogant soul finds solution to his arrogance! it is very hard to mould your life in the path shown by a divine soul, rather it is easier to follow the footstep of a human individual.
In other words the epic turns out to be an answer to everything-not from religious viewpoint but from the perspective of humanity. And for the avid story buffs-the book is a staple meal –the storyline of the Valmiki Ramayana is never distorted and occasionally taking materials from Kamban’s Ramavataram in Tamil or sri Ramcharit Manas by Tusidas in Awadhi or folk tales associated with the story.
The first book is the Bala Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana-where the epic hero Rama will be seen in the making. So let us take this journey with Shubha Vilas-to see the legendary hero to blossom.

Interested?
Read the complete review at
https://jayasreesown.wordpress.com/20...

[Abhilash Ruhela · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading lots of epic fiction, I finally picked up this book based on pure mythology. "Rise of the Sun Prince" written by Shubha Vilas. It's first book in the series of "Ramayana: The Game Of Life" (whole series is going to be of 6 books). Jaico Books known for publishing similar stuffs once again gives us a book which has a soul of Ramayana and character of Rama right from its cover page to the words written to describe this beautiful tale. Book 1 is wholly dedicated to the life of Lord Rama from his birth to his marriage. Another specialty is its protagonist. Most of us would think peeping into cover page and synopsis that it would be Rama but the real protagonist of this book is Vishwamitra and then Dasaratha. That's what Book 1 gives you as a surprise. :-)

When we talk about Ramayana, we talk only about the incidents that plays big part in the epic. But how did the hatred and origin of that particular incident occur, Shubha Vilas concentrates upon that in this book. E.g. How Rama(in his childhood) once plays a small prank with Manthra because of which she starts hating him more than before and that hatred results Rama going to exile for 14 years two decades later.

Even the fight between Vishwamitra and Vasishtha is something new and exciting to read. How does Ramayana lands into Valmiki's responsibility to write is with what this book starts with. The story of Ahilya turning into stone, the formation of Srilanka, the competition between Vayu and snake etc. are also given the main preferences in the book along with main occurrences in Ramayana.


The usage of capital H in "He" and "His" even when the words arrived in the middle of a sentence to describe Lord Rama shows the amount of respect author has for Him. I read a book "The Exiled Prince" few days ago. You can call this book an improved version of it. The small notes and messages in the footer of pages are as beautiful as the story. I want to only read it once again specially because for most of the time, they acted as interruption to the story(drawback). Also, the "Laws" of few things that author has noted in between of chapters are inspirational.

The chapter from the Book 2 introduced in the end of this book didn't worked well with me. I felt it took away the excitement of climax from Book 1. Also, the cover page of this book though beautiful, serene and attractive makes it look as if the book is for school children. That's the only reason why adults won't pick up the book misinterpreting animation as children's muse. But read this book to know about Vishwamitra's elegance, Dasaratha's simplicity and Lord Rama's rise. In all, I would give this book 4.25* out of 5. It's definitely readable. Go For It!

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

[Swathi Shenoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some stories, which no matter how many times you have read, you find something new each time! Epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata are such stories. I have always been a fan of these. There have been numerous books on the epic Ramayana and many attempts have been made to re-narrate this epic over time. So what could be possibly different about this book? It was with this mindset that I picked up the book, expecting it to be just another story retold. But was I wrong?

The book is not a typical Ramayana story retold! The narration is crisp. As I started reading it, I was totally mesmerized by the story and the effort made by the author to illustrate even the minute details. There are so many details in this book that I wasn't aware of before. The book deals with the story from the time of Rama's birth till His marriage. But there is also a story in the beginning which narrates how this greatest epic of Ramayana came into being. How Rathnakar becomes Valmiki and how his angry curse turns into a beautiful verse of Ramayana.


As it is the story of Ramayana, it is natural to expect the hero of the book to be Rama. But instead of centering the story around Rama, the author has made the sage Vishwamitra as the hero of this book, which is the first of the six book series. Equal importance is given in describing each and every character in the story. The author has managed in providing a different perspective to the story, yet not spoiling the originality of the Ramayana.

The cover page is just awesome. It is attractive and prompts readers to pick it up instantly. The language used is simple yet compelling, which manages to engage the reader's interest throughout. What caught my attention the most are the footnotes that are present in almost every page of the book. The author has become successful in catching the reader's attention and interest by providing insights on various topics that otherwise will go unnoticed. It is said that Ramayana is not just a tale but a way of life. How the inherent wisdom from the tale can be imbibed in our life is effectively described in these footnotes.

Though there are so many quotes that are worth mentioning, the one that I loved the most is

Heroic acts may attracta common person, but acts of compassion and kindness attract the heart of great souls.

It is not the divine knowledge you possess that makes you divine but what you do with it that does.

Any series can be considered effective when the readers are enthusiastic and look forward for the next book. If you ask me, I say I am definitely looking forward for the second book in the series - Ramayana: The Game of Life - Shattered dreams. I suggest this book for all the readers who are interested in Mythology. Don't think 'Another Ramayana book?' Because when you read the book, you will find it worth it!

[Vaisakhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Complete Review Please Visit - http://vaisakhimishra.blogspot.in/201...

There have been hundreds of renditions of this ageless saga but none have come this close to making me look beyond the tale. Rise of the Sun Prince is the first of the 6 books that have knitted the story from the poetic verses of Valmiki to the veiled analogies of Kamba Ramayana. The first book mainly focuses on Bala Kand of Ramayana but with a lot of insight to various aspects of the epic.
The book starts off with a gist of Ramayana in a very fundamental form but slowly delves into the era and the circumstances of the era. Ramayana that we have read till date runs on the high emotional quotient and the theme of love and sacrifice but this book makes you look at the book from the angle of society, struggles, and “not everything is black and white along with the emotional built up. The story starts with how Rishi Valmiki came to be despite of his sinister past and then gives you the whole insight to the great king Dasharatha. Did you know Dasharatha had 350 wifes other than his Prime Queens? You don’t believe me, it is ok, I didn’t believe either. But this book not only mentions that, it also gives the reason behind it. After that starts the journey of a hero in making and the journey of a spiritual teacher to find the true sense of the spiritual realms and the strength of the Guru Sishya relationship.
The protagonist of the story might be Rama but for this book it was Vahishtha – Flawed, Strong, Famous, Respected, Lost and on the journey of finding himself. He was the guru of the Suryavanshi Princes, but the short tempered sage was also on a quest of his own, to defeat the demons that were determined to spread the negative energy everywhere. But in his journey he tends to lose himself cause of his anger and spreads some level of negativity himself. The book connects to our very own lives with that of Vashishtha and the way he learns from the young princes all while teaching them. At the same time the story of Ahilya and that of Sita talks of Fate and dedication.

[Pradeep T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the complete review of the book in the following link:
Ramayana:Game of Life - Book 1 - The Rise of the Sun Prince - Review

This is a fantastic book. This book gives us a different view point of the epic Ramayana. Many authors have presented the Ramayana and each version adds its own flavor and interpretation. This book is yet another attempt in providing the same. Author Shubha Vilas has written the book which is very easy to read and understand. There are no complex structures. The book presents us a straight and a simple Ramayana. This the first book in this series of Ramayana. The book mainly focuses on the birth of the Lord Rama and his brothers Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. The book is a representation of the Bala-Kanda of the Ramayana written originally by the sage Valmiki.

The interesting thing from the book is the series of footnotes that you can read in almost every page. Ramayana can be seen as a tale and also can be seen from an angle where each and every situation from the story can be adopted into our modern day lives. Author's command over the Ramayana and its understanding is visible in every footnotes that he adds. There are many short stories apart from the main event Ramayana. We get to read the tales of Ahalya and her curse. We get to read the tales of several demons killed by Rama through his journey. The book covers the growth of the Lord Rama from a toddler, to an infant, to a teenager and finally to a divine incarnation.

The more interesting part was the tale of Sage Vishwamitra and his tryst with the austerities. How he renounced his entire Kingdom and Wealth just for the sake of seeking a personal revenge against the ever greatest sage Brahmarshi Vasishtha. This particular tale reminds me of another great book in Kannada Maha Brahmana by the author Devudu which covers only the tale of Vishwamitra and how he rose to become the Brahmarshi.

Overall, a nice book on the Ramayana. Looking forward to read the next book in the series.

[Nitin Vadher · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all I am very found of Mythology, it always fascinates me from my early childhood. At the time of 90’s when Ramayana and Mahabharata were the only serials shown on weekends on Doordarshan, at that time watching these serials was just a fun, I didn’t know the real meaning or purpose behind this serials. Now this is the first time I am reading Ramayana written by ISKON Swami. Indian mythology is mesmerizing; it has a vast knowledge which can be used in 21st century also.

I was hooked up from the first page, now I got to know why foreigners visit and stays in India, for the spiritual journey, they find the true purpose of Life in our Mythology. One thing which I liked the most is a story of Sage Vishwamitra, a journey from King to Sage is very well articulated by the author. Also I think lord Rama is the pioneer for Monogamy because at his time where even his father Dashratha was having 353 wives, Rama was the first one who takes a vow by marring Sita and being loyal to her, this is a good example for today’s world where divorce and infidelity are a common things. Rise of Sun is very well intertwined from the birth to marriage of Lord Rama, leadership of Dashratha, the power of sage Vishwamitra, the sita’s life revolves around holy bow, and a story of stone - Ahilya the wife of Gautam Rishi.

The footnote in every page is a good addition for the readers, provided a practical knowledge for today’s modern life. There are many Life lessons like The Laws of Sharing, The Laws of Dependence, and The laws of Self-Control etc which are very helpful for the readers if implied in day to day life. The detailed narration is given to each and every character, which provides ample information. An Indian epic, thoroughly narrated by the author Shubha Vilas.

Indian Mythology written in simplest manner. I highly recommend this book to Indian youths, as they will know our rich heritage. Re-read this book, readers will never get bored. If you are planning to purchase Ramayana, I suggest purchasing this book written by Shubha Vilas. Awaits, to read the second part of Ramayan series.

[Sagar Shirodkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

If epics are to be retold, this is how it should be done.

Now how many times would we have heard about Ramayana. If you are an Indian you must have already heard/watched TV show/animations/theatrical shows/mythological books and of course through family member's.
However, how many of us really know what Ramayana is trying to teach us?

Rise of the Sun Prince is the first of the 6 books of the series "Ramayana: The Game of Life"
and is basically the ‘Bala Kanda’, or the first part of the epic Ramayana with a lot of insight to various aspects of the epic.
A special thank you to the Author and Good-reads for this book.

The book has been essentially divided into nine chapters.The author has used simple words and tried to make the narration interesting. What I really liked is the effective use of footnotes on each page referring to the key takeaway from each scene in Ramayana.
This books also gives details and explanation of some commonly unknown events of Ramayana like "Dasharatha had 350 wifes other than his 3 Prime Queens" with an explanation of why and how.

The protagonist of the story might be Rama but for this book Vahishtha was the key player forthe majority part of the book with an equal share of Vishwamitra.
The book connects to our very own lives with that of Vashishtha and the way he learns from the young princes all while teaching them along with having details on Vishwamitra's life

The Ramayana is one of the greatest stories ever written and no matter how many times you have read it, you are left with a different perspective.

Positives –
1.Narration - Crisp, Simple and Powerful
2.Rendition - Logically and apt rendition of Ramayana with insights to each reader.
3.Segregation of Chapters – The story flows into you. My favorite "Brahmarishi"
4.Footnotes – Adds a lot to our knowledge & provokes us to think over all aspects of life and broadens one's thought process

Negatives –
1. If you are not a mythology fan you may not enjoy the base story.

[Prasanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is with much skepticism that I picked up this book for reading because I’m not really a fan of mythological or philosophical books and of course most of us would have read or seen the story of Ramayana as kids. So what new could the book tell that we already did not know?

But I was wrong! Right from the first page where the author chronicles how the great sage Valmiki was inspired to retell the life story of Lord Rama, till the last page which ends with confluence of two great kingdoms of Ayodhya and Mithila, when Lord Rama marries Janaka’s beautiful daughter, Sita, this book grabs the reader’s interest and manages to entertain and enthrall.

The footnote in every chapter, which expresses how the inherent wisdom from this beautiful tale can be imbibed in the present modern life, is wisely articulated. The narration is detailed, especially the chapters where Vishwamitra takes Lord Rama and Lakshmana under his wings to train them in different skills. Although the mention of the scheming Ravana and his life is confined in this book series, it was enough to perk up my interest and make me wish that I had the next book series in my hand.

I also appreciated the fact that the author has given enough importance to all the characters and given abundant information on the history and background of every character that appear even briefly in the life of Lord Rama.

When a book is part of a series, the success of each series can be measured on the how the reader responds to one simple question “Would you read the next book in the series?” and for Shubha Vilas’s rendition of Ramayana, I would answer in a very emphatic and enthusiastic “Yes”.

Verdict: A simple but fascinating rendition of the epic mythological saga. A crisp and yet detailed account of the life of Lord Rama from his birth till his marriage.

[Shrikanth Venne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review - Rise of the Sun Prince (Ramayana: The Game of Life, Book #1)


Well explained with many details.


I have read many books related to Ramayana recently by authors DevDutt Patnaik, Amish Tripathi, in which Ramayana was a story which was modified according to the modern life where in there no magic was contradictory to which is shown in the televisions where the demigods shower the flowers from the sky when Rama kills Subahu and Maricha. There was always a logical reason behind all these imaginary situations.

In this book I liked the addition of those imaginary things. We are seeing from our childhood those shower of flowers from demigod, the use of arrows having different powers with different colors which always fascinates us in such mythologies.

Reading this book is like watching the story manifest in reality. Shubha Vilas has explained this book in a plain English. The footnotes, on every page were good for the information which shows the depth the author has gone to write this book and the knowledge of the author for this mythology. There should be fewer footnotes, which does not let the reader loose his concentration from reading. Many concepts related to Vishwamitra's pride and arrogance were new for me. The way the story proceeds keeps you engrossed. There are many instances where it has stretched a little bit with the explanations provided.
Overall, reading this book was a good experience and learning. Shubha Vilas has given Ramayana a new face. Really looking forward to complete other 2 books already released and also the remaining 3 books in the epic Ramayana.

[Jyoti Babel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any author who aims to recount this epic saga must have tremendous courage, for this is a saga of epic proportion that has been retold several times by several authors in different ways. So, how does one present the same story to the readers in a new way and grab their attention. Tough job it is!

Keeping that in mind, I think the author has done a great job with his first book of the six book Ramayana series. This one deals with the Bala Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana. One gets to know how Valmiki starts to write the Ramayana, how Dasaratha came about to have three hundred and fifty three wives, how all his sons were named, what was Viswamitra’s role in Ramayana, the story of Ahilya and of course, every tiny bit details about the lives of Rama & Sita. There is so much to know and learn. When you read the book, you will realize that Ramayana is not just about Rama & Sita or Rama’s war with Ravana – there is so much more to it.

The author is not just recounting the story in this book; he is also revealing how the various lessons that Ramayana imparts is of significance in our lives today. There are foot notes on every page does the job. But, they are also the ones that often mar the flow in the story. I am not a very big fan of this style, but I guess the author was left with just this option. Sometimes, the foot notes were too long and detailed that I almost forget where I left the story! I guess, keeping them short, simple and to the point would be better.

Overall, it was a great read. If you are a mythology books fan, you can surely pick this one

[Dhanya H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book which tells us the Ramayan in a way that is practical and applicable to today's life.
It starts with Valmiki's curse and ends with the meeting between Rama and Parashurama after Rama's and Sita's marriage. This is the one ramayan book that I have read which gives us all the details from Valmiki Ramayan as well as other versions of it.

[Vinay Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review on A Bookworm’s Musing: http://wp.me/p2J8yh-2Mj

What I liked:
+ Cover design; feels very magical
+ Research of the great epic
+ Snippets with previously unknown details

What I didn’t like:
- Notations on each page, hinders flow at times
- Heavy language, feels like a text book

It felt more suitable for a research on the great epic, than just to be read as a story.

[Tanay Agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a narration! So much to learn from this great epic. Just can't wait to read other books in series. Must read for all irrespective of age! It has lessons for all.