CONCEPT: 4/5
WRITING: 3/5
OVERALL: 3/5
“The Tandava, performed by Lord Shiva, is more than just a dance; it is a profound cosmic act that encapsulates creation, preservation, and destruction within its movements.”
– Abhinav Choudhary, Mystic Tales of Shiva
I was looking for a short read on Sanatan Dharma to read on my Kindle when I came across this intriguing book listed in the Kindle Unlimited catalog. Always eager to learn more about my culture and religion, I quickly downloaded Abhinav Choudhary’s Mystic Tales of Shiva and sat down to read it. The book looked like a promising read, offering a deep dive into the rich mythology and symbolism surrounding Lord Shiva.
What is the book all about?
Mystic Tales of Shiva is a short read that provides a beginner-level introduction to Lord Shiva and his world. It attempts to bring the wisdom of the Shiva Purana and distill it down for a novice reader. All of 70 pages, it is a book that can be read fairly quickly and has chapters that briefly touch on many different aspects of our beloved Mahadev.
The language
The English difficulty level is medium, making it accessible to beginner-level readers but with some effort.
The subject and what the book contains
Mystic Tales of Shiva is structured in multiple short chapters, through which it briefly touches upon many different things related to Shiva. We start with the chapter on the introduction to Shiva, in which we delve upon his origin, later moving on to the story of Sati and Shiva, and then Parvati and Shiva. The narrative also briefly covers the story of Ganga.
We then move on to the other aspects and symbolism associated with Shiva. We gain knowledge about Tandava while also talking about the legendary third eye of Shiva and its significance. Thereafter, we move on to the various avatars of Shiva, his sacred symbols, the various festivals that are celebrated in his honor and glory, his family, his teachings and philosophy, and in the end, his various teertha, kshetras such as the twelve jyotirlingas, Varanasi, and his mystical abode, Mount Kailash. In this way, the book does try to capture a short summary of the essence of Shiva.
My review
There are many things that I personally learned from the book, and it also provided the groundwork for future learning too. However, what makes this book ‘not click’ is the language that it is written in. It is too mechanical, too insipid, too philosophical for my taste. The writing seems as if it’s generated by AI and not written by a human.
In the chapters, there is much information on the topics at hand, but there are gaps too. And these gaps are filled with philosophical-sounding mumbo jumbo that is used as fillers. There is a lot of repetition and beating around the bush without actually contributing meaningfully to the text. One bonus point is the captivating illustrations that serve as beautiful anchor points for the reader and capture the glory and magnanimity of Shiva. However, these are not enough to redeem the book from an otherwise insipid writing.
In the end, Mystic Tales of Shiva is a decent one-time read that gives us some beginner-level introduction to Lord Shiva and his many tales, but with dull writing, it fails to inspire and invigorate the minds of its readers.
Can’t wait to read it? You can buy your copy of Mystic Tales of Shiva using the link below.
