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Mahiravana
When his rakshasa army was destroyed in the battle against Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, Ravana, the Lord of Lanka, called for his son Mahiravana, a powerful magician. Would he succeed in killing the noble Rama and Lakshmana? Not while Hanuman was around, for this faithful friend had a trick or two of his own. The Bengali "Krittivasa Ramayana" written by poet Krittivasa in the 15th century describes how Hanuman manages to get around the wily sorcerer's schemes.
32 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 19, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 25, 2018
From Amar Chitra Katha another title in the list of Epics and Mythology.
April 11, 2024
First thing: I assume the version I have (pictured, with nigh illegible title) is the same one. If not, I'm too lazy to create or request an entirely new entry for it.
I have this "bad"* habit where I tend to take the side of whoever is telling me the story, even when I have been preemptively told or shown that the storyteller/protagonist is the villain. I did not know anything about Mahiravana before reading this, so I assumed this was just a magician helping out his dear old dad Ravana, only to end up getting hoisted by his own petard.
*Arguably, it's good in the sense of being able to show sympathy to others, but it DOES mean I'm a bit gullible...
Some of the issue is the story—either the original or this adaptation—focuses a lot on the "enemy" actions, putting the titular Mahiravana off-screen for a large part of the book and obscuring who is the "good" side. I suppose it should be evident from the fact it started when Ravana started the conflict in the first place, but... *gullible*
I suppose if there were a book called "Hitler" and I had somehow never heard of the dude before, I could easily—for a while—be convinced he was the hero. I mean, a whole country did for a time! Pretty sad stuff. Anyway, this is the same thing: named for the bad guy, told from the perspective of trying to stop him starting from when the focus switches to Rama and Vibheeshana (page 7 on).
Okay read, not sure if I like the story (not the fault of the author/artist, who just made this short comic adaptation). Great seeing stories from less-familiar cultures all the same.
I have this "bad"* habit where I tend to take the side of whoever is telling me the story, even when I have been preemptively told or shown that the storyteller/protagonist is the villain. I did not know anything about Mahiravana before reading this, so I assumed this was just a magician helping out his dear old dad Ravana, only to end up getting hoisted by his own petard.
*Arguably, it's good in the sense of being able to show sympathy to others, but it DOES mean I'm a bit gullible...
Some of the issue is the story—either the original or this adaptation—focuses a lot on the "enemy" actions, putting the titular Mahiravana off-screen for a large part of the book and obscuring who is the "good" side. I suppose it should be evident from the fact it started when Ravana started the conflict in the first place, but... *gullible*
I suppose if there were a book called "Hitler" and I had somehow never heard of the dude before, I could easily—for a while—be convinced he was the hero. I mean, a whole country did for a time! Pretty sad stuff. Anyway, this is the same thing: named for the bad guy, told from the perspective of trying to stop him starting from when the focus switches to Rama and Vibheeshana (page 7 on).
Okay read, not sure if I like the story (not the fault of the author/artist, who just made this short comic adaptation). Great seeing stories from less-familiar cultures all the same.
April 16, 2020
A known story delightfully told
A known story delightfully told.
Like each of these tales,enjoyed this story also immensely. Cannot have enough of ACK,now that I have rediscovered its joys
A known story delightfully told.
Like each of these tales,enjoyed this story also immensely. Cannot have enough of ACK,now that I have rediscovered its joys
March 31, 2021
Why rakshasa were easily fooled when devas enjoyed dances, drank alcohol and even had common ancestors?
June 28, 2024
The downfall of Ravana (R) continues. He puts his kingdom in jeopardy because he will not accept his place. Powerful and undefeatable in battle...R can not see that he is his own worst enemy. The story of R is relatable across cultures; his downfall is Shakespearian - we pity him because of what he could have been.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews