Saptasheel

by Sita Ram Goel

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1999

About the author

Sita Ram Goel (16 October 1921 – 3 December 2003) was an Indian religious and political activist, writer and publisher in the late twentieth century. He had Marxist leanings during the 1940s, but later became an outspoken anti-communist and also wrote extensively on the damage to Indian culture and heritage wrought by expansionist Islam and missionary activities of Christianity. In his later career he emerged as a commentator on Indian politics, and adhered to Hindu nationalism.

Reviews

[Pushkar Chaudhary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is set in the backdrop of the 6th century BCE. The time when 16 "Mahajanpads"(states) were emerging in the Indian subcontinent. It starts with a conversation between Lord Budhha and Varshkar. Varshkar is the chief minister of Magadha serving under the fratricidal king Ajatshatru. Varshkar is seeking the advice of buddha in order to defeat the unvanquishable Lichchavis who were the most powerful clan in the Vajji republic.

Vajji republic was a conglomeration of many non-monarchial republics situated in present day northern Bihar and Nepal region. Its capital was situated in Vaishali where the chief clan Lichchavi resided. Through this book Sitaram goel narrates the famous struggle that took place between Magadh and vajji republic. The war lasted for almost 16 years and changed the future of Indian subcontinent for ever.

Lichchavis are depicted as a traditionalist clan following a noble code of conduct. On the other hand, Ajatshatru is shown as a wicked king who took the throne by killing his father. Therefore this war becomes a battle between righteousness and unrighteousness. When Ajatshatru realizes that he can't subdue the lichchavis by military power. He decided to sow the seeds of disunity among their clans. Varshkar (the cunning Brahmin minister) supports him in this endeavor. He gets into the vajji republic accompanied by some of his followers. He presents himself as an enemy of Ajatshatru and a well-wisher of the Vajji republic. Through his various vicious moves, he succeeds in destroying the moral conduct of Lichchavis which they were most proud of.

Sitaram goel presents this story with the help of various characters. Each has a different perception of the things happening. While few are highly orthodox and believe that war alone is the duty of a Kshatriya. There are progressive people too who emphasize the beauty of dance, music, and literature. They don't think that the human body deserves to perish by just fighting their whole life. This makes it super interesting. As you will see the conversations between these characters defending their respective ideologies. The arguments used haven't changed much even in the present context.

This book describes in detail how Varshkar achieved this impossible feat in detail. Though it's fiction, the author has not mentioned any episode that is completely out of context historically. Even minute details like name used for various things during that period is carefully used in accordance with the primary historical source.

Generally Sitaram Goel is known for writing historical books where he usually has a head-on with Marxist historians. However, this book is free from all such things. It's a testimony of his scholarship over History as well as Hindi. Although the kind of Hindi used in this book is quite tough but I believe that readers can grasp its meaning with some hardship. In the end, they will be blessed with an enhanced vocabulary of Hindi words.