After Vishwamitra and the Legend of Parshu-Raam, comes the epic saga of the king of Bharatvarsh! The kingdoms of Nabhi-varsh lie scattered in the wake of Parshu-Raam's assault on corrupt Kshatriyas. While evil has been wiped out from the land, the important task of nation-building remains. In the forest of Naimish-Aranya, the stunned king of Hastinapur watches a young boy play with lion cubs. Who is this fearless child? How does his destiny entwine with that of this ancient kingdom? Will he be able to bring order to the nation and defend it against the invaders lining up at its borders? Reimagined brilliantly, this novel tells the story of the son of Dushyant and Shakuntala, the grandson of Brahmarishi Vishwamitra, the man who changed the destiny of our country and gave it a brand new name-Bharat! Praise for the Legend of Parshu-Raam!
Dr. Vineet Aggarwal is described by many as a doctor by qualification, manager by profession and author by passion.
Born in a family of doctors, he successfully completed an initial stint with the family occupation before deciding to venture into pharmaceutical management and currently pursues writing and travel photography along with his managerial roles.
He is the author of popular online blogs ‘Decode Hindu Mythology’ and ‘Fraternity Against Terrorism and Extremism’ and the author of books ‘Vishwamitra – the Man who dared to challenge the Gods’, ‘The Legend of Parshu-Raam’ * 'BHarat - the Man who built a Nation."
"Vishwamitra" & "Parshuram" by Vineet Agrawal are still on my wishlist. Before I can lay my hands on these two Vineet came up with Bharat - The Man Who Built a Nation. I got my hands on Bharat on my birthday. I was glad as it was the only gift I received (apart from my wife's of course) Talking about the first impression, compared to previous books by Vineet cover of Bharat is far better.
The story is divided into three or I would say two & half parts. The first part covers how Bharat's parent met each other, how they fall in love & how they got separated. I think all Indians knew about the love story of Shakuntala & Dushyant. This part depicts his epic love story. Next (half) part is about Sarvadaman's (aka Bharat's) upbringing. It is short in length but deep in meaning. Specially few conversation between Vishwamitra & Sarvadaman becoming Bharat. How he conquered Gandhar to Kamapura, Himalaya to Kanyakumari. It shows how he subdued (as per meaning of his name) foreign barbaric invaders.
These stories we have heard or watched many times so what is new in this book. The first & foremost, the author's narration style & story building. I liked the way author has driven story & character of Bharat. Second at various places author has nicely shown the deep meaning of our Sanskrit shloka or rituals. I liked following - Saptapadi - Marriage Vows - Verse given after above marriage vows - 10 gurus from nature - Vishwamitra's teaching to Sarvadaman
Though the pace was fast, except end I didn't find the author was rushing towards the end. War strategies shown at the end was really interesting. If the author has shown more of it I would have given one more star.
A fabulous read - Must read to know about the man who built our nation and from whom our nation got its name
This was the best puranic fiction I had read this year along with Amish's "Sita the Warrior of Mithila" & Saiswaroopa Iyer's "Avishi". As the name of the book suggests, it is about the man who built our nation and after our nation gets it's name. Although I had read a lot about Sage Vishwamitra, Emperor Dushyanth, and the descendants of Emperor Bharat, I had read only little about the Emperor Bharath. Thanks to Dr. Vineet, this void is filled. The biggest plus of this book are : Dr. Vineet's hardwork w.r.t. this book, Dr. Vineet's down to earth style of writing, use of philosophical thoughts at the right places in the book and the compelling narrative. "Bharat- the man who built the Nation" dwells into the world of our ancestors and will inspire to read and know more about them. As the author mentioned in the author's note "As the world seems to be moving towards disintegration (due to various scenarios the author says), we need to look into the past to find some inspiration" and the book serves the intended purpose. Also the way Dr. Vineet concluded the book is awesome with the fabulous words "The future was built on the ashes of the past, and he, Vishnu, the Preserver, would make sure that that balance (between creation, equilibrium & annihilation) never faltered till the end of time." Go and read this book if you haven't. Worth your time and money. Thanks Dr. Vineet for this book
Well I can say now that this is definitely an underrated book. Very informative and well researched book. Got to learn a lot about our ancient culture and how the society was which respected women equally. Everyone should read this book to get to know ourselves. Narrative is good too and easy to follow and seems to written by a well versed writer. Looking forward to read rest of his books. Well I can safely say this book precedes the events of scion of ikshvaku.
A look into the life king Bharat. A story that we used to read as child has come from the author Vineet Aggarwal's pen. As his usual style, backed by extensive research into Indian Mythology, the author gives a detailed account of the king's life eloquently. The story just rolls on as the boy who counted tiger cubs teeth becomes one of the greatest kings in India. As always, authors wtiting is fluent and the reader finds himself engrossed in the story. A must read for people who like Mythology.
I have gone through this book and it Is a wonderful experience. There are so many factors which were not known to me. There is not a single moment to get bored. Continuation of the subject is very important and you have maintained it very well in all the three books. It's very difficult to remember the names of the places of that era (Nabhi-Varsh) so hats off to you for creating elaborate maps to show ancient India. I never knew that there was a King who conquered the whole of the country, uniting the entire nation under his banner and on his name our country was named as' Bharat-Varsh'. Bravo!
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Title – Bharat Author – Dr. Vineeth Aggarwal Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) Genre – Historical Fiction Pages - 248 ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Firstly by reading this novel I got to know about many of historical characters which were just names for me like Duyashnat, Menaka, Vishwamitra, Harishchandra etc.
Although the plot is set in ancient era, it is logically framed and you won’t find anything absurd or boring rather I found many situations analogous with today’s time which makes it a very interesting read. The best part I found in this novel is that there are many moral values described through various scenarios which one can absorb.
A must read novel as the overall experience will take you through exquisite blend of two beautiful stories of pure love, one of Dushyant- Shakuntala and another of Bharat- Jahnavi along with scenarios showcasing the warrior qualities of Bharat.
Starts off well, talks about a story that I wasn't aware about. So was interested to read. Tapers a bit towards the end . War sequences seem rushed. But a good quick read.
In continuation of his previous books Vishwamitra and Parshuraam, Dr. Vineet Aggarwal has once again vividly and engagingly narrated a story not known so well otherwise. Thanks to his deep research on the subject and elaborative writing style, we get to see a crystal clear picture of this story which was blur till now. What really stuck with me is the connection in all the 3 books, especially Vishwamitra's role in shaping Bharat's life. The detailed description of everyday life made it a very interesting and intellectual read and keeps you hooked till the end. Overall a great book for all readers.. Waiting to read fiction books from you Mr. Author!!
Dr. Vineet writes in a way that's easy to read and retain..for any age group. For those who know very little of Hindu mythology, his 3 books starts you off with a simple introduction to the lesser known but important characters. Bharat is one such character - it's worthwhile to know the king after whom our country Bharat (India) is named and why. While I highly recommend that all 3 books - Vishwamitra, Parashuram and Bharat be read in sequence for clarity, each book can be read as a standalone. It is apparent a lot of research has gone into the writing of each book.
The book never let's you keep it down so greeping is the story of the making of Bharat the books first part is all about Bharats parents and takes off in the other half.
One of those captivating tale about the Legendary Bharat. Did expect the intensity of the earlier two books and sadly it lacks. More or less it's an amazing read.
This was the only book left of this author and I liked this one too. I deeply had a urge to know how our country got its name Bharat and I got to know a lot like this. How our world got the name prithivi and how our country got the name nabhi varsh. As said by author, this is the sequel of the legend of parshu-raam and vishwamitra, and even I will reccomend to read this in that manner only. The author have displayed the great characters like vishwamitra, parshuram, harishchandra, vashisth, perfectly. And actually this was the book I liked the most from this author. I didn't felt that this book had a proper enemy, but even though it made me read this book till the end. I like the way of how author develops the story of the main character's background first, the story of his grandfather and father, and then he goes with the main story. And the thing I liked the most is its cover. It is best compared to its prequel. At last this one is must read from this author and I hope even you will love it.
This book is literally perfect, containing not only one but four great stories. The story of Harishchandra, story of Dushyant and shakuntala and also of the great Bharat after whom India was named Bharatvarsh. I loved the story of Harishchandra and the pain he and his family had to suffer in order to pass the test of Vishwamitra. The story of Dushyant and Shakuntala was also awesome though at one point I thought Dushyant wasn't doing it right but then he did correct his wrongs and be a perfect husband to Shakuntala and a great father to Bharat. Bharat's conquest to make nabhivarsha and complete nation once again was also depicted beautifully.
Falls short of expectations (the storyline) The story of Bharat could have been elaborated more in a more creative way, it falls short in the pace and sometimes not-so-of-that-age scenes. I'd say "Vishwamitra" and "The Legend of Parshuraam" were top notch and this one falls off as just a imaginary-fantasy type story. Dr.Vineet Sir, please take some more time in writing more about Mythology. Your immense knowledge is really a need in this society. Your blessing is a rare one, please utilize it for the betterment of the present generation.
The novel tells story of love and sacrifice of the great Kind of Hastinapur Dushyant and Rishi Kanv daughter Shakuntala and at the same time story depicts Brahamrishi Vishamitra and Shree Harishchandra life's ups and down.
Then story moves to Rohitashaw son of King Harishchandra and The Great king of the earth BHARAT Son of Emperor Dushyant and Devi Shakuntala.
One must read the book to know about our heritage kings and their life's challenges and how they encountered all challenges but never left path of Dharma.
It is an ecstasy for those who have any interest in Indian Mythology/ History. It is a detailed explanation of how India once addressed as 'Nabhi-Varsh' became 'Bharat- Varsh'. Unlike other popular tales of Indian mythology, the story of chandravansh puru King is usually not mentioned a lot but in this book the author beautifully narrates the story of puru King (lunar dynasty).
Really a good book.. i never knew about man whose name is given to our nation. I have read Vishwamitra and Parshuram as well. I would suggest to read those books first before moving to this one there is a great connection between all of them. But I really loved reading all 3 books
For the first time I have read in detail about this great King, Bharat. I have learnt a lot not just about him but his parents and the rest of the family from the novel.