The Serpent's Revenge: Unusual Tales from the Mahabharata

by Sudha Murty

How many names does Arjuna have? Why was Yama cursed? What lesson did a little mongoose teach Yudhisthira? The Kurukshetra war, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas and which forced even the gods to take sides, may be well known, but there are innumerable stories set before, after and during the war that lend the Mahabharata its many varied shades and are largely unheard of. Award-winning author Sudha Murty reintroduces the fascinating world of India s greatest epic through the extraordinary tales in this collection, each of which is sure to fill you with a sense of wonder and bewilderment.

Genres: Mythology, Fiction, Short Stories, India, Fantasy, Indian Literature, Religion

200 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2016

About the author

Sudha Murty was born in 1950 in Shiggaon in north Karnataka. She did her MTech in computer science, and is now the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation. A prolific writer in English and Kannada, she has written nine novels, four technical books, three travelogues, one collection of short stories, three collections of non-fiction pieces and two books for children.

Her books have been translated into all the major Indian languages and have sold over three lakh copies around the country. She was the recipient of the R.K. Narayan's Award for Literature and the Padma Shri in 2006.

Reviews

[Raksha Bhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is always something enigmatic about Indian mythology. The different versions of the stories that we read and hear make them more fascinating. This collection from Mahabharata by Sudha Murthy stands out because of the narration. In the current times of ostensible Indian best sellers, she is one author that I look up to. I happened to attend one of her sessions at the Times Lit Fest in Bangalore this month, what struck me was the effectiveness of her simplicity, it percolates into one’s thought process. The stories in this book have the same effect. Mahabharata and Ramayana are never ending sagas, there is always something new to know about them. There are many parallels between the events of today and these epics. It is up to us to read and learn. Books such as this one help us in this regard. The illustrations are the icing on the cake.

[❃A.J❃ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good.
It had a lot of lesser known but interesting stories from The Legend of Mahabharat. I enjoyed it!

[Saumya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ahtims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this beautifully illustrated and beautifully narrated book on stories from the Mahabharata. Most of them are well known to me, but quite a few were novel. Didn't know about King of Udupi who cooked during the Kuru war and about the lady who was turned into a boulder ( not Ahalya ..this is a different one ).
Thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful illustrations .

Had bought this book for my niece, almost feel like keeping it for self .. but after reading such stellar tales of good behaviour and advice , one cannot be greedy or selfish 😁

[Raashee]

Sudha Murty, undoubtedly comes on my list of the most delightful Indian authors. Having read Mahabharata thrice and falling in love with it with every fibre of my being, I was really attracted to the stories in this collection , Every single one of them was so unique and compelling. If you are -even if mildly- interested in Indian mythology or the Indian epics then you should totally give this a go.

[Namrata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this Sudha Murty collection! I love all her collections, but this one was especially my favorite. Her stories are so underrated it’s ridiculous. By this review, I hope more of you will go and pick up some of her books. If you don’t like it that’s fine, but this author is very talented in storytelling. If you like mythology books, don’t hesitate to grab this one on the go.

[RITU MAHESHWARI · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a well versed person like me with the tales of Mahabharata there is nothing new to read in this book. But then this book is not written for the readers like me as well.

The Serpent's Revenge is the collection of few unique stories of Mahabharata written in the simple easy to understand language and it will be a great book to introduce your children to Mahabharata. Indeed the book is written with young budding readers in mind.

Follow the link to read the full review

http://thebookworld.org/serpents-reve...

[Chandru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read, recommended to read once you read/know the original(ish)

[Niranjan Kamath · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book on supplementary stories from the Mahabharata and the lunar dynasty. Beautiful narration of the stories brings out intersting facets of the great epic. It was an compelling read.

[Theredheaded_Bibliomaniac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best thing was that it wasn't mythological fiction...
It was true mythology with true stories..
I knew most of the stories still I enjoyed reading it...
If someone is just starting to read mythology this is perfect book..

[Gen-v · Rating 4 out of 5]

My heart is flinching with agony 💔

[Ravi Teja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always delighted by the stories of Mahabharata, A tale of extraordinary and exquisite land. And as usual I loved reading this book. My only gripe being I knew all the stories except the one about Indradyumna. But I won't hold it against the book, since I belong to a niche here as someone who has read the whole of translated Mahabharata.

Yet another book with some delightful stories of Mahabharata.

[Priyanka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sudha Murthy's writing, beautiful illustrations and mythology, what's not to love!

[Gayatri Sriram Iyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed a alot...

[Nitin Vadher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time when I read about Indian mythology it gives me new message and it changes my thinking to positive way, I am getting energized by reading about Mahabharata and Ramayana.
I am a big fan of the author and reading her from her first book dollar bahu, I know her writing style which is very simple and crispy, easy to understand. So when I came to know about this book I placed the order without any second thought, a book from Sudha Murty on mythology is a good collection for next generation.

Now, the serpent’s revenge is a unique collection of events from Mahabharata, some are known and some are unknown to me. This book will not only help you to narrate bed time stories for your kids but will also add your knowledge about Indian mythology. There are many such stories which you have not heard from your parents or grandparents which are perfectly represented by the author with the help of graphical pictures through the book.

Many stories are provided with end notes or rather footnotes, where current location of India and stories behind it is being written by the author, which is best source to know about that particular place and event and why we still worship and importance of that lord. Also last two pages of the book where the family tree of Chandravansh is being provided which is good source of information about Kaurava’s and Pandava’s.

I highly recommend this wonderful yet simple representation of Indian mythology for today’s youngsters.

[Deep M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was my first Sudha Murty book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Serpent's revenge is a collection of short stories from the Epic Mahabharata.I have read the original Ved-vyasa version,but this one is also captivating from the top to end.
This book's target audience is children to make them aware of Mahabharata and its popular characters.The related graphics pictures make interest in the stories.And I'm pretty sure that apart from the children,there will be majority Indian people who wouldn't be knowing some of the tales.
So,grab this one without any second thoughts.

[Harshith Bangera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, the language is very simple and sweet. It is definitely written for kids. But I did enjoy the stories and there were very few of the stories that I hadn't read before. It felt like granny telling you stories. Post every story, the places mentioned in that story during those times are mentioned in the current parts of India which is good enhancing of one's knowledge. There is also a lunar dynasty (Chandravanshis) family tree given at the end.

[Nishant Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has little tales from the grand epic Mahabharata. Most of the stories should be known to people familiar with Mahabharata, but that's the thing about Mahabharata, it never gets boring even if you've heard the stories several times.
This book is written in a very simple language, and hence so, both children and grownups can enjoy it. It's a nice light read especially if you want to take a break.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual Sudha Murt's latest book this time on mythology is easy and a quick read. Simple language and the stories that are retold in a manner that one will enjoy reading, despite knowing the story.

[Sonu Mulchandani]

Interesting read. I didn't know quite a few stories from here. It's a concise and un-animated story telling from a great epic. Simple enough narrative.

[Wendell D'Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tales from the Kurekshetra War.

The Serpents Revenge is a novel filled with unusual tales recounting many integral parts before, after and during, the Mahabhartha. Every story is a fine blend of action, philosophy and history, in what was definitely a gripping book.

The first book in Sudha Murty's mythology collection was yet another masterpiece from the veteran author. With enchanthing stories about the Mahabharata, the stories are accompanied by Sudha Murty's
Magical writing style. The book is filled with fun and interesting tales about the pandava's and the Kaurava's and thier entire history of animosity and jealousy, and how the cousins fought a full fledged war that killed countless on either side. The book has many stories that share an elaborate explanation of every important charecter in the Mahabharata, it was nice to see all charecters being shown importance and the explanations of many plotlines in the epic. Besides the marvellous stories the art throughout the book was commendable and made the reading experience interesting. Highly recommend this for people who love Mahabhartha.

[Prathima Deepak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having a thought of buying this book for my friend's kid, I gave it some time to read and review first.

The book is full of short stories from our Epic Mahabharata and it just reminded me of all the bedtime stories that my grand-parents used to tell me during my childhood.

Kids interested in mythology will definitely love this.

PS: What I liked the most is that the names of the characters in the Epic are spelled same as in sanskrit unlike cutting short. For instance, in many books Bhima is often spelled as Bhim which irritates me..!!

[Apratim Mukherjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a book narrating some unknown stories of the epic Mahabharata.If you (like me) are interested in Mahabharata,then please read it.Its an excellent book.I would also recommend this for children as every story is like an Aesop's fable i.e. carrying a moral lesson.
The book would have been outstanding if a writer of the stature of Mrs.Sudha Murty had not made a huge mistake in one of the stories,The Rishi's Revange,she wrote that Drona was killed on 12th day of the war instead of the 15th (as mentioned in the 'Drona Parva' of the Mahabharata).
Otherwise this book is a good one to read.

[Ajith Reddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a myth fan ...Just go for it ..... Every sentence have some great information ..... Although there are some stories which we definitely knew already .... Being a sudha murthy fan ....... Respect and love for her increased after flipping d last page

[Veena Sridhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes good read if you want to connect dots for main Mahabharata epic which most of us know but wonder for no reasons. Makes it good consolidation of short stories for kids also. Most of the stories are known but few of them makes lot of difference in answering why’s of Mahabharata!

[Sanya Vij · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories, but reads like a very oversimplified version. Perhaps that was the intention.

[Madhura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the stories are the ones I’ve read. So nothing’s new.
But fine was good.

[Jayashrita · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a collection of popular stories in Mahabharat. Most people who watched any of the Mahabharat series on TV or read the story, would know most of the stories.

[Megha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice, short and interesting stories from manhabharatha. Sudha Murthy’s narrative style makes her books intriguing to read

[anwesha ୨୧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
this was a very enjoyable read and a lot of stories were definitely new to me!